


Ties That Bind

by GuardianSoulBlade



Category: Teen Titans, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: AU, Alternate - Freeform, F/M, Fanfic, Medeival, Series, Teen Titans - Freeform, Teen Titans Animated Series, Titans, animated, cartoon, teen, universe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-04-25
Updated: 2010-07-06
Packaged: 2018-01-08 02:37:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1127352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianSoulBlade/pseuds/GuardianSoulBlade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: Medieval Fic. Sir Garfield Logan had conquered the entire country, overthrowing King Malchior of Steel Kingdom. He returns to Jump Estate with the spoils of war, including Malchior's widow, a sorceress named Raven. BB/Rae, BB/T</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclainer: All characters, places, settings anything that is important belongs to DC Comics. I don't own anything pertaining to Teen Titans, except the DVDs. If I had it my way this would be a movie, or graphic novel, or something awesome like that, and the show itself would still be airing new episodes on TV.

**Prologue  
**

_He still remembered her. Her smile. Her laughter. The way she always understood him. They'd been married for five years. They were going to have a family. He was the Lord of the small estate known as Jump. His best friends were Sir Richard and Sir Victor. Although Garfield was a peasant and a fletcher, and Richard was the adopted Ward of Lord Wayne, they had become friends with Sir Victor, a traveling mercenary from a distant country. They had distinguished themselves after being drafted into the royal army after too many knights had died and there were no squires old enough to go to battle.. During the many wars King Malchior waged, he'd met a girl named Terra. They'd fallen in love, and had married a few years later._

_They had a good life together._

_Then, tragedy struck._

_He had been invited as an honored guest to the castle. They both had gone. King Malchior, who was well known as a philanderer, had set his sights on Terra. She had refused him. He had her shot dead as they were leaving. She had died in his arms._

" _I love you, Garfield. Always," were Terra's last words to him._

" _I'm going to make him pay," Garfield swore an oath. He only confided his vow to Richard and Victor. Richard's wife Kori had grieved bitterly. Terra was her closest friend._

_It was from then on that they decided. They were going to overthrow Mlachior. He didn't deserve to be King. Someone else would take his place. They told their small army to get ready, but to keep it a secret. The king's spies were everywhere. So they meticulously planned and prepared, stored up food, pitch and weapons. They made sure to keep the estate well defended before they prepared to siege the castle itself._

_Meanwhile, Malchior ruled with an iron fist, a cruel tyrant who took everything from his people without trying to make their lives better. Raven knew that there was a rebellion brewing. She had often argued with her husband, warning him that if he didn't change, disaster would strike. She sensed the onslaught coming, but he didn't believe her._

_Raven awoke from a fitful sleep. It was early and she always got up early to meditate. It helped ease her mind, only a little. With her husband's cruel policies and hard handed tactics, it was only a matter of time before rebellion would sweep the country, She'd heard stories, of a massive army, well trained and well equipped, heading towards the castle. They had conquered nearly all the estates and nothing and no one could stop them._

_But she had to try to stop them. She was a powerful sorceress and she knew that if she didn't at least try to stop them, more lives would be lost. Mlachior was gathering his troops to head off to battle, but he told her that if he died, she would have to protect the castle. So Raven watched, and waited, she prepared herself for the oncoming battle and she knew deep down that there wasn't any hope left for her._

* * *

_Sir Garfield Logan stood atop a hill, staring out at King Malchior's slowly approaching army. It had taken them almost a year to conquer nearly all of Mlachior's estates. The peasants were eagerly aiding them. They were sick and tired of Mlachior's tyranny and eagerly accepted Garfield Logan's encouraging words and the promise he made to give them a better life. He told them that if they aided him they would create a kingdom where they would eat well and live good lives. He promised to lower the taxes and punish criminals. There future would be bright and full of hope._

" _I'm creating a kingdom she would have wanted to live in," he told Richard._

" _That's a good thing Gar, but how are you going to make sure you keep that promise and don't turn into another Malchior?" Richard asked._

" _Well, I have you two, you guys would not hesitate to cut me down if I turn into the monster he is."_

" _Indeed," Richard said. "You're thinking about Terra, aren't you?"_

" _Yes, I'm doing this all for her. She stood up to him, and he killed her."_

" _Gar, don't get too caught up in all this, you might not like where this goes," Victor warned._

" _Don't worry about me, Vic, I'm not about to follow in_ his _footsteps. I'll never be like Malchior."_

" _Do you honestly think we can win?" Richard asked._

" _So says the guy who set the traps," Gar smirked. "If there's anyone smarter than Malchior when it comes to battlefield strategy, it's you."_

" _I was making a jest," Richard responded._

" _And you find_ my _jests unfunny," Garfield retorted._

" _You try too hard, Gar," Richard said. "Would you look at that? The army stopped. They set up camp too."_

" _I'm going to give him one last chance, if he agrees to change his ways, then I will halt the attack. If he doesn't then, we'll slaughter his army."_

" _That sounds like something Mlachior would say in negotiations," Victor said.,_

" _Actually, no, Malchior would just arrive and slaughter us without any negotiations," Richard said. "That's the way he strategizes. Send the messenger. We'll decide what to do when he gets back."_

_Meanwhile, Mlachior's soldiers spotted the messenger and brought him to the king._

" _What is your proposition?" he asked. "Have you come to surrender? If you do, I promise you a quick painless death."_

" _Lord Garfield asks that you surrender, and he will cease his attack," the messenger replied._

_Malchior sneered at the messenger Garfield had sent, "He wants me to surrender, as if he will ever set foot in my castle. No, I'm going to end this. Who does he think he is? That insignificant peasant, he only received his title from me because I was feeling generous. He's no one without me, I gave him everything he has, and I can take it away. Ha! Tell "Lord" Garfield that the next time I see him it will be with his head, on a pike and his body cut up in pieces!"_

_The messenger rode back to camp and delivered the message._

_When Garfield heard the message, he was furious. "I offered him one last chance. Well_ he's _going to have his head on a pike, not me. I'm going to cut him down myself!"_

" _Richard, tell Victor to get the men ready. All the traps are set and we've got more than enough weapons and food. Tomorrow when they wake up, rain down Hell from the sky! Half his army will be dead before he even engages me in combat! I'm going to kill him with my own hands."_

" _Well, let's go!" Richard said, standing up. "So begins the bloody business of the day."_

_All the preparations were made, the troops were ready, and he was prepared to take his revenge. He would change this country. He was going to do it for Terra. Mlachior was going to pay for all the cruel things he had done to his own people, but most of all, he was going to pay for murdering Terra. Gar stared out at the army, preparing to come to kill him._

" _Let them come!" he snarled. No one was going to stop him this time._


	2. Chapter One: Yesterday I Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven and Garfield meet, and have their first confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't own any characters, just my imagination. Oh by the way the word cuirass is pronounced kwi-rass, it's medieval body armor. Research pays off for these kinds of fics, which I don't think anyone ever actually does, yay me. I'm actually referencing one of my favorite songs, if you can give me the name of the band; I'll read whatever your most updated fic is.

* * *

 

It was warm and the sun was bright in the sky. Strange that it was a beautiful day for a war. Malchior's army was marching steadily towards them. Garfield had made sure to have eaten and gotten plenty of rest, along with his men. Tired soldiers meant dead soldiers, no doubt Malchior had been stupid and not let his men eat or get enough rest. It was their funerals, a pity really.

"Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" Victor shouted. He was a dark skinned man, a Moor and a mercenary from a far away country. He'd traveled to Steel Kingdom to seek his fortunes. Garfield had befriended him and they had set out together and then they had met Richard, the ward of Lord Wayne who had freed Kori from enslavement by the Gordanians after they had invaded her kingdom of Tamaran. They had many adventures together and Richard and Kori had fallen in love and gotten married. Then they met Terra and Garfield had fallen in love and they had lived without incident until she died.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded.

Richard stood, overlooking the battlefield, "They're about where we want them."

"They're going to start dying…right…about…Now!"

Indeed, he could hear them screaming. They were falling into the man traps that Richard had set up. Blood was everywhere. He heard and saw men falling into pitch pits or being hit by fire ballistae. His men hadn't even engaged them yet and they were already dying.

"Open fire!" Victor shouted.

Arrows flew from crossbows filling the air. There were more screams. His men were well trained, much better than Malchior, and they had the resolve to fight, that was another thing Malchior's men lacked. Garfield's green cape flapped in the wind. He was on his horse, he turned to his men. His green eyes were set with determination. The wind whipped over the hill, blowing bits of his blond hair out from underneath his helmet. It wasn't exactly a comfortable setting.

"And the wind just _has_ to make him look dramatic," Victor snarked.

"Attack!" the men did as they were told and they all rode down together. Victor and Richard were with him. Swords whirled and flashed about as they relentlessly cut down their foes.

The enemy was beginning to run.

"Don't let them escape!" Richard shouted. More bodies fell dead as the archers and crossbowmen took out fleeing soldiers.

Garfield finally spotted him. Malchior, it was a day he'd been looking forward to.

"Malchior! You're going to pay for what you did to Terra!" Garfield shouted.

"We will see about that. I'm going to enjoy killing you. Necronom Hezberek Mortix!" Malchior shouted. A stream of white energy shot out at Gar and knocked him off his horse. He scrambled to his feet.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"Magic and it's what's going to destroy you for good." Malchior's smirk was apparent enough. Garfield had never met a wizard, sorcerer or a sorceress before but he knew that the stories said they were always overconfident in their powers and tended to rely on them a lot. He was determined to use that to his advantage.

"Fancy tricks won't save you Malchior," he taunted. "All those stories I heard about sorcerers, you aren't very impressive."

He glowered at Gar, Gar smirked, man he was easy to rile up. "So I'm curious, what are you going to do after you've killed me?"

"I'm going home to my wife," Malchior smirked.

"Wait…you have a wife? How did a piece of scum like you even _get_ a wife?"

Malchior snarled in fury and unsheathed his sword. He began slashing at Garfield wildly, he wasn't normally so reckless but every word this peasant said just infuriated him.

"Man, this wife of yours must be ugly," Gar continued. Malchior actually turned red with rage.

Garfield tried to keep himself from actually laughing out loud. "Honestly, you bed so many wenches who _aren't_ this wife of yours she must not be that pretty. If you can't be happy with the person you call your wife, you _must_ be pathetic."

Garfield struck Malchior across the face and the evil tyrant fell to ground. Victor grabbed the sword and held it to his throat.

"Go on. Do it. You're not fit to rule this country if you can't finish what you started."

Garfield stared at him.

"Maybe I will," Garfield told him.

Malchior actually paled at the thought of actually dying and quickly changed his tune.

"Spare my life, I—I'm begging you. I'll do whatever you ask," he blubbered.

"If you had said that to me a year ago, I would have gladly finished you off, but I'm going to be merciful. Take your wife and leave this kingdom and you won't be killed. Get out of my sight!" Gar turned to leave.

"You fool!" Malchior snarled. "Did you think your kindness would be an advantage, he slipped a small dagger from inside his boot and slashed at this pathetic excuse for a knight. Garfield managed to avoid most of the blow, but felt it cut into his chest, his armor wasn't like Malchior's and it was easier to cut through. He didn't have time to think. He had to end it, saw where Gar had ripped a piece of the cuirass during their sword fight.

Garfield managed to bring his arm around Malchior's head, right above where there was space enough for his helmet and his armor to meet. Malchior had foolishly discarded his helmet at the beginning of their fight.

"You thought I didn't see that coming," Gar asked. Malchior suddenly exhaled as the air was pushed out of him as he felt a knife enter right below his neck and into his back. "All war is deception."

"I underestimated you, you were supposed to be a complete idiot," Malchior gasped, he was going to die here, because of this pathetic fool. "My wife…will…avenge me. She's the only one…who understands…"

"The King is dead…" Victor began.

"Long live the King!" Richard finished. He could hardly believe their quest was almost over.

"Gar, your chest has been ripped open, we'll have Kori heal you," Richard said. Kori was a healer as well as a warrior. She was skilled in helping the wounded and the sick and she was going to have a lot of work to do.

"You're right, I'll recover, but we're not finished yet. My destiny is at hand. Time to take the capital," Gar said, picking up his helmet.

* * *

Raven stared at the messenger. "Malchior…is dead?"

"Yes, my Lady, he told me that you would avenge him and defend this castle."

"When will he arrive?" she asked.

"Tomorrow," he replied.

As much of a shock as it was to find out Malchior was dead, she didn't have time to grieve, that monster Garfield was coming and she had to prepare. She'd spend the rest of her time preparing for the attack and Garfield was surprised to find that the castle was a lot harder to take than he'd planed, but he, Victor and Richard all managed to get in with a small squad of their best troops.

"This castle is ours!" Garfield said triumphantly.

"You care to wager that on your life?" a voice asked. He turned, looked up to a stairway, and saw her for the first time.

She was about his age, her early twenties. People didn't live long in these times. You were lucky to make it to thirty. The fact that she was in good health impressed him. But he couldn't see her face, she was wearing a hood.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Raven, that is all you need to know," she replied.

"He mentioned he had a wife, I guess that he meant you. I didn't think he actually had a heart in his chest," Garfield told her simply. He wondered who in their right mind would _marry_ Malchior. It didn't really matter, he had to go through her to conquer to castle and that was simple enough.

"If you surrender now, I won't have to hurt you," she said calmly. At least she didn't have her husband's temper and go mad at the drop of a hat. Maybe he could negotiate with her.

"I was about to say that, I don't want any more unnecessary deaths, please, surrender," he was very calm about this. He was very tired, and didn't want to fight her due to his own exhaustion. Besides, he was never comfortable fighting females; they could be more terrifying than any man in battle.

"I'm going to make you pay for killing Malchior, the only way for you to take this castle is to kill me yourself you monster!" she snarled. She unsheathed a sword and prepared to attack.

It was strange, what a point of view could to a person. From his viewpoint, Malchior was the monster who had taken the woman he loved. From Raven's viewpoint, he was the monster who had taken away the only person who understood her and the powers she possessed. No one cared about her, or wanted to understand her powers, they all shunned her. Except Malchior. And now he was gone.

Garfield noted that except for one angry outburst from her, she was practically emotionless, and eerily calm. He was curious why, but didn't have time to think about it as their swords clashed.

"You know, Raven, if you actually took off that hood you'd be able to see me better," he quipped. His strange sense of humor mainly showed up in battle.

"Nothing you say will affect me," she replied in monotone. So battle humor and talk as distraction was definitely not going to work on this girl. Well, it was still worth a try.

"You know about your husband's reputation right? He was a cruel tyrant who got what he deserved."

"I'm not ignorant, Garfield, I know what he's done, but I still loved him."

"Are you an idiot?" he asked. "How could you love someone like him?"

"You will never understand," she replied.

_Raven looked at the longhaired young man, "You saved my life; I am in your debt."_

" _You are like me; we both have gifts the rest of the world will never understand."_

" _That's true, so what are you going to do now?" Raven asked. "I hope you don't mind if I travel with you."_

" _Me? I'm going to become king of this country. Then I'm going to make it a place where we can live without people ridiculing us for our gifts."_

" _That's very ambitious of you."_

" _I know, but just you wait, Raven," Malchior said, "We won't have to be afraid anymore."_

Their swords met and sparked again as she fought him to a standstill. They couldn't best each other and they were trying with all of their effort to find a weak spot. But they couldn't find one, attacks and defenses were flawless. Raven swung her sword and it left a hole in the wall where Garfield's head had been. He managed to duck, but barely, he could hear the wind whistle above his head.

Unexpectedly, something hit him like a wave and he staggered back. He saw tapestry falling from the ceiling towards him. He slashed it in half with his sword and barely managed to counter Raven's attack and suddenly, a black wave that he wasn't even sure he saw came straight towards him. He raised his sword and brought it down and cut the strange energy in half.

"I feel I should tell you something Raven," Garfield told her.

"You're starting to wear out, ready to give up?" she asked.

"No, I just wanted to tell you, that I am not right handed," he said, he switched hands. She stared. He'd been toying with her the entire time! He had deliberately used his weaker hand to test her skills. It didn't matter, she had to end this, she kept up an endless barrage and Gar was starting to worry.

_That was too close; I have to get her to lose her composure. This is a pretty low blow but it might work._

"You know Raven, when Malchior died, he begged and pleaded for his life like the coward he was, and when I granted him mercy he tried to stab me in the back, so I killed him."

At these words, Gar noticed that her composure completely changed; her eyes, which he couldn't see beneath her hood, began glowing white.

"You liar!" she screamed. "I'll kill you myself!"

Garfield had never been on the receiving end of so many vicious blows. He was backing up, parrying every attack but his arms were growing tired and were beginning to ache. If he didn't end this soon she would kill him. He pushed forward suddenly, calling on reserves of energy he didn't know he had. Her anger was astonishing, especially since she had seemed in control of her emotions during the first half of the fight.

He finally managed to knock the blade from her hands and it went skittering across the floor. Richard stepped on it before she could move over there, Victor was in the room as well and brandished his unsheathed sword in her direction.

"It's over Raven, surrender, and we'll let you live," Richard said calmly.

"I'd rather die!" she snapped. She raised her hands, and Gar's eyes widened in horror. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

A strange form of dark energy streamed from her hands, knocking all three of them off their feet simultaneously.

"What was that?" Victor asked.

"Dark magic! I thought that the church had killed everyone who could use it!" Richard shouted.

"You want dark, _I'll show you dark_!" Raven said, her eyes were red now, he swore by God Himself that he saw four eyes instead of two. Gar was terrified. What was he going to do now? Black tendrils grabbed his legs and he fell to the floor. She began dragging him across the floor as she slammed his body into the walls.

"Come on, taunt me, and say something clever!" she sneered. "Where's all the boasting that you just told me earlier. How you stabbed my husband in the back."

Garfield was being dragged towards her cloak. Was he going mad or did she appear taller than she was before? He had to stop himself from going under that cloak; he could only compare that to being dragged to Hell.

Then he saw it, her sword, it had been batted away from Richard when he was thrown back. He reached out and grabbed it.

Raven saw him and knew there was no way she could stop him. Fear hit her in waves. She was going to die here, murdered like she was nothing.

She saw the blade; felt something hit her in the stomach. Raven looked down, half expecting to see blood pouring out. Instead, she saw the pommel of the sword, had been slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her. She collapsed. Her hood fell from her face.

Garfield was more than a little stunned. He had expected her to be different, her face to be cold and cruel like Malchior's, only he found that she was angry and bitter, and yet very sad, at least that was his first impression anyway. Her expressionless face made him wonder why she had to be this way. She was beautiful, and he contemplated how Malchior had managed to convince this girl to marry him. She was better than what he deserved in a spouse. She was actually loyal to the insufferable tyrant who had no qualms about being faithful or loyal to her.

"I didn't give you enough credit, you act like a fool, I underestimated you," she admitted.

"They all do," he replied.

"Execute me, that's what you're going to do, right? I'm a sorceress; your church would kill me."

"I'm not the church am I?" he retorted. "You can hate me, I couldn't care less. I may be a lot of things, but don't you _ever_ call me a monster. The only monster is the one _you_ married."

"Why you—!" she began, but Richard clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Don't let her speak, she conjures spells that way," Richard said, he nodded at Victor.

Victor had twenty other soldiers restrain her. Gar turned on his heel and began walking away.

"This castle is ours. Take whatever you want, I don't care."

"What about Raven?" Richard asked.

"Take her back with us, I'll decide what to do with her then," Garfield's footsteps echoed as he left the room.

_She's too much like Terra; I don't want to think about either of them right now,_ Terra had been able to move the earth with her mind. They called it "magic" but he wasn't sure what it was, all four of them had kept it secret from the church. They didn't want her to be killed for having a gift that no one could understand.

_Still, there's something about her I just can't shake. I'm leaving before I say something foolish and stupid._ He was finally away from her. Raven was like Terra, gifted with powers and misunderstood, but Raven was a shadow of Terra, and he wasn't about to replace his sole reason for vengeance with someone else, let alone _her_.

Raven's head slumped down, his echoing footsteps sounded like the sounds of a death knell. In one day, she had lost everything. Her husband, her home, and her freedom. Yesterday she died, and tomorrow was bleeding. Her life had shattered and there was nothing she could do about it.


	3. Chapter Two: Tomorrow's Bleeding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven must adjust to her new life as Garfield's servant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, and there won't be any Slade in this fanfic, Slade is way overrated and is in quite a few of my own fics and yet I've never used Malchior or Adonis. So no Slade, besides, his name isn't exactly Middle Ages sounding. The old English meaning of ass is fool, so that's why that word's in here; I'm not using it as a cuss word. P.S.: Some of this dialogue is not mine; it belongs to a famous manga artist, she's my favorite too. If you can tell me where it is, I'll review your latest story. Thanks.

* * *

Raven staggered forward, forcing her legs to keep moving. They had walked for hours without a break and a man called Adonis had made sure to make her keep walking even though her feet ached and she was exhausted.

"Everybody rest!" We're camping here!" Garfield shouted.

Raven felt utterly exhausted as she finally lay down. They'd walked for so long that her feet felt like they would fall off her ankles. She saw people, captives and soldiers alike began to take off their clothes. They were going to sleep outdoors, completely naked *****. Sleeping naked was normal no matter what status or class you were in, but at least in the city you didn't have to _see_ people nude. Raven did her best to avert her eyes and tried not to think about just how many people were sleeping this way. At least Lord Garfield's soldiers had been decent enough to distribute blankets to everyone, not that it was going to help much, considering how cold it was at night.

Garfield, Victor, and Richard were preparing to sleep as well.

"I _refuse_ to sleep out here naked," Richard protested adamantly when another soldier suggested it. "What if we are attacked? How am I supposed to fight and protect myself?"

"It's fine in the city where people can't be seen, but there are men _and_ women here!" Victor added vehemently. "I actually want to keep warm at night!"

"Sometimes I think that peasants have more common sense than the nobility, at least _they_ know it's better to keep their clothes on out here, well _some_ of them anyway," Garfield muttered.

They all slept; some fitfully, but it was easier for some more than others.

They would walk and then rest and this lasted for several weeks until they finally saw it, Jump Estate.

"Home at last," Garfield sighed. "It's been so long."

"It's finally over," Richard said, "Malchior is dead."

"I'm heading home," Victor said. "My horse and I are tired, aren't we Baby?"

Richard and Gar were always puzzled at why he named his horse Baby. They had tried to ask him once, but they never got a straight answer. Richard thought it was because it was because it was an easy name for the horse and Gar thought it was because he treated the horse like a baby. Either way the name stuck.

Raven was led into the estate. High walls surrounded it and she had seen wheat farms and pastures for cows and fields for hops and even an eel pond.

_Lord Garfield must live like a king, probably so arrogant and proud he wouldn't lift a finger to help anyone. He most like likely eats his fill, overtaxes the peasants and beds any woman who even looks at him_ , she thought bitterly. These were many of Malchior's traits after he had become king and had observed that all the nobles who had come to their castle were this way too.

It disgusted her. After all Malchior's promises of making the kingdom a place where they could use their gifts to help the people, he had let the power intoxicate him so much that he wasn't the man she fell in love with and she didn't even recognize him anymore.

Gar was probably of noble birth and had overthrown Malchior because he craved power. That was the only logical explanation for his motives.

"All hail Lord Garfield," the crowd shouted, quickly lining the streets to meet the conquering hero. "Long live the King!"

Raven was astonished. They were cheering him. She could understand their point of view, her husband wasn't a prize but to see how genuinely happy they seemed.

"Good afternoon, my Liege," a farmer said, walking past them carrying a bundle of wheat.

"Make way for Lord Garfield and his prisoner, Malchior's widow, the witch Raven!" Adonis shouted.

The crowd turned, stared, and began hissing at her. A peasant walked up and spat in her face.

"You don't deserve to live!" he hissed.

"Get back!" Richard ordered sternly. "Let her be."

Someone threw something, it smelled rotten and she felt the spoiled fruit being pelted at her from all sides.

Adonis shoved her forward. "Get moving!" he barked.

Raven was led, utterly humiliated, into Garfield's castle. She was surprised at how modest it appeared, she had been expecting something with grand architecture, but noticed that it seemed to be built for practical reasons rather than for displaying his power.

"Take her to Lord Gar," Adonis ordered Richard, who resented him greatly since Adonis loved to give him and Victor orders just so he wouldn't have to do them himself. "He said he would decide what to do with her."

Garfield stepped into his throne room, utterly relieved to have returned home safely.

"At long last!" Garfield exclaimed. "I can sit in a chair and relax!"

He felt rested and called in a page to ask what he had to do.

"My king, Adonis has brought the witch Raven for judgment," he said.

"I do grow weary of people calling her "the witch", it's as if they _want_ her to be evil just like Malchior," Garfield sighed.

"What do you mean?" the page asked.

"Forget what I've said. It doesn't matter anyway. Bring her in," he ordered.

Raven was led, in chains, trying her best to keep her emotions in control and not look utterly dejected. Unfortunately, she was failing miserably.

"She is a witch, Your majesty," Adonis began smugly. "We all saw her powers as she fought you. She tried to kill you and if you let her live, who knows what else she is capable of. We should execute her, but not before we make her suffer slowly, painfully before we burn her at the stake."

Garfield was disgusted. Adonis had been a torturer for a long time, he'd also been put in charge of management as his steward, though he had no idea why he did it, he hadn't found a suitable replacement for him yet. He needed Richard and Victor on the battlefield, maybe now he could finally have a reason to get rid of him.

Raven was terrified. She had lost everything. Were they going to kill her too? Something inside her broke and she couldn't take it anymore.

"Please, spare me," she said in a broken voice. "You've taken everything from me. I don't have anything anymore. At least…let me have my life."

Adonis bent down and struck her across the face.

"Silence, witch!"

"Adonis, control yourself!" Richard ordered. "It's beneath you to strike a woman, even her."

"Careful Adonis, you're really testing my patience," Garfield warned. He really wished Adonis would stop blowing hot air and stop trying to find an excuse to make the girl suffer.

Garfield saw Raven, weeping, though she was trying very hard not to. He pitied her and he wasn't like Malchior, who enjoyed having his captives tortured or if they were women, he would force them to become his mistresses if they had been nobles or scullery maids if they were peasants. Most of the time it had been the former. Having traveled with him for some time he had seen all this and resolved to not follow in his footsteps.

"I'm not going to kill you," he said.

"But Majesty!" Adonis protested.

"Victor, get him out of here," Garfield ordered. "I am tired of his constant talk of pain and suffering. There's been too much death already. I don't want to add to it with a needless execution."

Victor led Adonis out of the room.

"Don't think just because he let you live that I'm not going to make you suffer!" he glared at Raven.

She shuddered. Raven stared up at Garfield, not sure of what to expect.

His eyes looked weary, if not a little sad. He moved over to her and undid her chains.

"You're going to live here, as my servant, but I have a feeling you're not a person who grew up in the pampered, noble life either. If not for the people's strong dislike of you, I would probably let you go free, but if they killed you then it would be for nothing. You are better off here."

Raven felt anger stir inside her.

"You think you're so smug. That I don't see what you're doing? You're just like Malchior. Sure he was benevolent and kind in the beginning, but then he let his desire for more power overtake him and he became a monster. You're not showing me mercy to be kind; you're doing this so I'll be a prize you can gloat over."

Garfield stiffened, but decided to not say anything. He wouldn't be goaded by her words.

"We'll show you to the servants' quarters," Richard said, he led her away.

Raven was given a dress and privacy to change. She knew she shouldn't have spoken out of anger, but it just aggravated her that Garfield seemed _too good_. It was as if he could do no wrong and she knew that he couldn't be so good-hearted and flawless.

She would just have to accept that this was how she was going to live now. It was better than the fate Adonis wanted for her. She hadn't grown up in a life of privilege, and for the first time, she was grateful for it. She didn't even want to think about what she would have done if she had been. She was already used to hard work.

She'd just have to make the best of this situation.

Garfield had declared that after his official coronation that there would be a kingdom wide celebration of Malchior's defeat. The streets were bustling and the people were talking. For the first time, they seemed genuinely happy. They hadn't had a Holiday in so long, they'd almost forgotten about it.

The granaries were opened and food that had been stored for tribute to Malchior was being distributed freely. Ale, cheese, bread and meat were set out as the peasants prepared to enjoy food they had worked hard to prepare, but never got to eat. Malchior had taken all but a little of their food for himself and they had survived on bread and water.

At the castle the cooks were busy. Garfield had informed them that he did not eat meat. This surprised many of them, because nobles normally ate pork and eel and chicken. He only requested well cooked vegetables, some fruit and wine.

Raven was surprised. "He doesn't eat meat?"

"Yes, strange isn't it?" a cook replied. Not everyone in the castle was like Adonis. The rest didn't care who she was.

"It surprises me," she told him as she helped bring in food. She had warned them that she couldn't cook so they took note of it. They did ask her to bring in food though, and she could do that.

"You have to serve the guests," the cook said. She nodded. "Don't look so uptight, at least you're helping me and not Adonis."

Raven shuddered.

She was given a plate of food and was told to take it out. She had served a few guests, remembering to not look them directly in the eye; she had seen her own servants do this when Malchior held feasts. At least she'd paid attention to the servants; it had become knowledge that would help her survive in this place.

Another plate was handed to her. Vegetables, it was for _him_. She looked up and thought she saw Adonis smirking at her through the corner of her eyes.

Raven saw the large feasting hall was full of soldiers and rich guests. Though most of them were soldiers who had aided Garfield in overthrowing Malchior.

"Hello, Lady Kori," Victor said, hugging a beautiful red haired lady who was accompanying a man she remembered, she thought his name was Richard.

"Hello Sir Victor," she said. "It is nice to see you have safely returned. I had not been able to speak to you. I was busy curing all the soldiers."

"We can drop the formality now, we're all friends here," Richard laughed.

"Well, we are in a castle at a formal feast," Kori smiled. She had not been to a feast in a long, long time. Not since six years ago, when they all had gone to Malchior's feast, where Terra had been murdered. They hadn't smiled and laughed in ages.

Garfield saw the servants walk in as they began serving the guests. He saw the one who was going to serve him and didn't say anything. It was Raven. Adonis probably did this to rub it in her face and he decided it was best to not say anything to her.

Raven of course, knew this was exactly what Adonis wanted and decided if she shut her mouth and didn't say anything, maybe he wouldn't care.

She served him in silence and she made sure not to look him in the eye, not that she had the defiance to do so. This was just too humiliating.

He stared at her, deep in thought. Was he supposed to react to this? He supposed the tyrannical thing to do would be gloat, but he wasn't in the mood or frame of mind to do so. He hadn't overthrown Malchior to humiliate Raven, he'd done it for Terra, and he thought he should remind everyone why.

"I propose a toast," he stood up and said. "To victory."

"To lost friends," Victor said, raising his goblet.

"To all the men we lost," Richard added.

"To Terra," Garfield concluded.

Raven, who was busy serving other guests, had to wonder who Terra was. It wouldn't be the first time she would hear that name and she knew that Terra was important. She didn't know just how important, but she would lean that later on.

* * *

" _Hello, can anyone hear me?" Garfield called out. "I need help! I can't get out of here!"_

_He was trapped beneath a ruined building with no way out._

_Suddenly, the earth began to move. He could see the sky. A hand reached down to pull him out._

" _Who are you?" he asked._

" _My name is Terra, I heard you shouting. I wanted to help."_

" _How did you get me out?" he asked._

" _I have a gift. I can move earth with my mind," she replied._

" _That's truly amazing," Garfield said. "Where are you from?"_

" _The country of Markovia," Terra replied._

" _That's very far away," he laughed. "What are you doing so far from home?"_

" _I travel and use my powers to help others."_

" _Thank you," he replied._

" _Let's get you back to your camp; your Lord Malchior will be relieved to know you're alive."_

_Six Years Later…_

" _Look at him, up there so smug, acting like he can do whatever he wants," Garfield seethed. "It makes me sick."_

" _We'll only have to put up with it for a little while. Eventually, he'll be replaced," Richard said._

" _When? I'm going to fix this country; I'm going to change it. A king should protect his people. The power of one person does not amount to much. As such, I will do all I can, however little it may be, to protect those dear to me."_

" _Geometric progression, huh?" Richard asked. "Which means…in order for you to protect this whole country, you have to be standing at the top of the pyramid."_

" _1 bet it looks awfully good up there, Richard. But I won't be able to climb up there all by myself. I'm sure of that much."_

" _What are you swaggering on about?" Richard asked. "This could be interesting," Richard said. "I'll take a piece of the action. I want to see how your naïve idealism changes this country."_

" _When I get there, those below me will protect those below them. We tiny humans, should be able to do that much, at least."_

"Garfield. Gar wake up!" Richard hissed in his friend's ear.

"I'm awake, good grief!" Garfield muttered.

"You keep sleeping!" Richard told him.

"Do you understand what they're saying?" Garfield asked Richard as quietly as he could during Sunday Mass.

"Yes, and you?" Richard replied.

"No, not one word, wish they would make it more simple," Garfield muttered. "I'm about to fall asleep."

"You can't do that, you're the _leader of this country_!" Richard said, still trying to keep his voice quiet.

"I can't help it, I always feel tired in Mass," Garfield protested. "It's not my fault I'm tired and that I can't understand a thing that's being said."

"I guess you'll have to have someone teach you Latin, you'll have to learn how to read and write too," Richard added.

"Oh great," he huffed. "Are they almost done?"

"I think they finished the Liturgy of the Eucharist, all that's left is the Communion rite and the Concluding Rite."

"You were adopted by Lord Wayne, so you know what all these things are."

"Yes."

"Are they done yet?"

"No."

"Oh God, make them hurry up and finish," Gar groaned.

"Don't be blasphemous, you'll have to do penance if they hear you!" Richard scolded.

"I'm being _serious_ ," Gar retorted. It seemed like forever, but at last, they were finished.

"Let's go home," Garfield said, relieved to get out of there.

* * *

Raven had never felt so hungry in her life. She had a feeling that Adonis was purposefully starving her. While all the other servants and peasants had enough to eat, she was always given half of what they received.

She sensed it was because of her status as Malchior's window. It was bad enough that the peasantry treated her horribly, but Adonis was in charge of the servants in the castle where she was. It was humiliating enough to be a servant to the man who had murdered her husband and taken everything from her, but now she had someone who hated her just because of who she married.

She crept into the kitchen. There was more than enough food there. She knew it would be bad if she was caught eating in there, so she smuggled out some deer meat and took it to her room.

It was very ironic that it was even in the kitchen, from what she heard, Garfield didn't eat meat. He only ate fruits and vegetables. It was probably for when other Lords from other estates would come to visit.

She knew about the rules when it came to eating food. Commoners were not allowed to eat the rich foods reserved for the upper class. They said that common peasants couldn't digest it. That was ridiculous of course, food was food, and your stomach could handle anything as long as it was cooked right.

She'd managed to get something to eat for a few weeks when one day, she had made it back to her room, when she saw him waiting for her.

"So this is what you do, you little witch," Adonis snarled. "You know the rules about food don't you?"

"Yes, but I'm starving—" Raven protested, but was viciously slapped so hard she hit the floor. She wanted desperately to use her powers but they had been made public by the church, afterwards they told her that if she ever used them they would kill her.

"You're only starving because you deserve it," Adonis mocked. "You think you're so high and mighty. You're no one here. I'm going to make you suffer."

She was dragged down to the dungeon and left there for a week. She received even less food than she had been eating and felt very sick.

Guards came and dragged her out to the town square and she visibly shuddered at the site of the executioners block, she also saw the stake where they burnt witches and sorcerers and the worst offenders. The gallows and the execution block were there if they were in a hurry and had multiple executions. The stretching rack was also there along with a flogging post, a branding chair and a gibbet. She hoped Adonis wouldn't put her on the rack.

They tied her to a post and Adonis came around to where she could see him. He was holding a whip.

"You see this? It will cut into your flesh like knives. You'll be in a lot of pain. Your back with throb in agony and if I keep flogging you, you'll bleed quite a bit. Normally, people who steal food would just be locked in the stocks but you; you _married_ that piece of scum we had to call our king. Since we can't punish him, I'll punish _you_ instead."

The anticipation was horrifying. The first strike was even worse. Agony shot through her body like fire and she screamed. Adonis kept the whip in motion, the muscles in her back and shoulders spasmed and shook horribly.

She didn't know how long it lasted, but she was moved to the stocks before she drifted off into a weary sleep.

_She had tried to live a normal life; the Temple of Azar had been a secure safe haven for her. She had learned to control her powers. But she wanted to live in a normal city where people were._

_She had traveled from the Temple of Azar and came to a town called Nol. She had lived there peacefully, without incident._

_Then one day, a cart had fallen on a man and he was trapped under it. She rushed over to him._

" _I can help you," she told him. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she chanted her mantra. Her powers encased the cart and she moved it so the man could get out. He stared at her in awe. Others gazed at her, horrified._

" _She's a witch! She'll kill us or cast a spell on us with her magic!" they shouted._

" _I only used it to help you," she protested. "I don't want to—"_

_Their voices drowned out hers and they moved forward. They were going to burn her at the stake. She didn't want to hurt them with her powers so she turned and ran._

_They chased her until she was cornered and had nowhere to run._

_Raven had to make a choice, use her powers and escape or be captured and die._

" _Necronom Hezberek Mortix!" a voice shouted. White energy knocked the men back and they all fell, unconscious._

" _Who are you?" she asked the strange young man. He was dressed in armor and had long white hair and his face was covered except for his eyes and hair._

" _I am Malchior, and who are you?"_

" _Raven," she replied. She didn't know there were others like her in the world. It was comforting that she wasn't alone, having gifts that no one could understand._

_Raven looked at the longhaired young man, "You saved my life; I am in your debt."_

" _You are like me; we both have gifts the rest of the world will never understand."_

" _That's true, so what are you going to do now?" Raven asked. "I hope you don't mind if I travel with you."_

" _Me? I'm going to become king of this country. Then I'm going to make it a place where we can live without people ridiculing us for our gifts."_

" _That's very ambitious of you."_

" _I know, but just you wait, Raven," Malchior said, "We won't have to be afraid anymore."_

_They had set off together, hoping for a better life._

"Come now, witch. Wake up and eat!" Adonis taunted. He set a plate down; it had the ration that was normally given to the servants and peasants. "If you can reach it, I'll unlock your stocks and let you go." It was purposefully set barely out of reach of her fingers. Not that she _could_ eat it even if she could reach it. She couldn't or wouldn't user her powers, but she still had to try.

Her back was throbbing painfully and the blood had dried, she felt horrible and could barely manage to think straight. Her arms were stiff from being in the stocks and her back and shoulders ached badly. She kept straining, trying frantically to reach the food she so desperately craved.

"Can't reach it, can you?" Adonis sneered, "A pity. If it were up to me, I'd sentence you to the breast ripper then I'd put you in a dunking stool. Burning you at the stake is too merciful, but Lord Garfield won't let me kill you." Raven visibly shuddered. She'd heard about all these horrible tortures and hoped he wouldn't actually follow through with it.

But the breast ripper was for adulterers and fornicators so that really didn't apply, but the threat was terrifying enough.

He began flogging her, not even bothering to move her to the flogging post. People were starting to gather around.

She refused to scream, her voice was hoarse and tired. Raven wouldn't give Adonis the satisfaction he seemed to get from her cries of pain. She kept her teeth gritted and tried not to make a sound.

"I won't stop until you scream!" he snarled. He began flogging her with harder strokes, bending his back to add more force.

"DAAAH!" the sound ripped out of her throat, the pain was too much and the agony flooded her senses.

Garfield, Richard, and Victor were walking home from Mass when Gar came to a dead stop.

He had never heard such an agonizing sound in his life. It cut him like a knife. He looked over and saw Raven in the stocks, with Adonis relentlessly beating her. He remembered when he had passed through the city and had seen Malchior's men flogging prisoners. Sometimes the king himself had shown up to watch and gloat.

He didn't know much about Raven. But he knew she wasn't a criminal. He remembered the harsh treatment she had received on their way back home, purportedly by Adonis. She looked so weak and tired, covered in blood. Compassion and pity stirred inside his heart and he walked over to her.

"Adonis, what's going on here?" a voice asked.

Raven stared. _He_ was here, what did he want now? To come and gloat? Malchior used to do that, she thought it was sick and begged him to stop, but he ignored her. Garfield was probably behind this anyway; he just hated her that much.

"Lord Garfield, she stole food," Adonis said, looking very smug, "but I caught her."

"Why did she steal food?" Garfield asked. He had a feeling that this wasn't her fault.

"I'm starving—" Raven began. Adonis brought the whip down on her back and she screamed. Garfield visibly winced.

"Richard, take Adonis over there and ask him about what happened, I want to talk to her," Garfield said. Richard nodded; they both knew that Adonis had purposefully mistreated Raven just because of who she was. Garfield had promised the people they would always have food to eat, and that included her.

"Raven, is it true you're starving?" he asked gently.

Raven stared; the gentleness in his voice surprised her, along with the fact that he called her by her name. "What do you care, you probably came here to gloat."

"You may hate me, but please don't lie to me," he told her. "Is it true?"

"Yes," she answered. What was he going to do? She didn't know what to think of him.

"Who distributes the food in my castle?" he asked, although he knew the answer, he needed to confirm his suspicions.

"Adonis," she replied. "You're probably enjoying this, seeing me humiliated this way."

"Malchior is dead, he was the tyrant that we hated, there's no need for you to be a scapegoat for his sins."

Garfield called Adonis over to him. "You've been tormenting her on purpose, haven't you?"

"Lord Garfield, I'm merely punishing her for the crime of stealing, if it were up to me, I'd sentence her to the breast ripper, then the dunking poo. She's a witch and deserves to—"

Gar had had enough of his words. He removed his sword and struck Adonis across the face with the hilt.

"I'm only doing this in the name of justice!" Adonis protested.

"No you aren't, you just want to make her suffer. Stealing is something she wouldn't have had to do if she'd been fed like everyone else. I did notice she's getting thinner while you're getting fatter. If you wanted to hide the fact that you were eating her food you shouldn't have stuffed your face you swine. And I'm sick of hearing you talk." Though he pitied the pigs, they didn't deserve to be compared to Adonis.

But L—Lord Garfield, I—I only—" Adonis stammered, he knew he'd been caught.

"Stealing food is normally punished by being put in the stocks, not a flogging so vicious it looks like all the skin on her back is going to fall off."

"Victor!" Garfield called his friend over.

"Yes, Gar?" he asked.

"Take Raven to the apothecary, let Kori heal her wounds. Make sure she gets plenty to eat and plenty of rest. Poor girl looks like she's going to die."

"Richard, your job is to punish him the same way he's been tormenting Raven, it's only fair after all. Since he seems to like pain so much I think it's time he received some."

"You can't be serious!" Adonis protested.

"He is, and I'll be happy to do this," Richard said. "I've been waiting to put you in your place for awhile."

Adonis was led away and Raven was too weak to be relieved.

Victor helped her out of the stocks and she nearly fell over, she didn't even feel she could use her legs and took her a few minutes to even be able to walk. Victor led her to the apothecary where she would be treated for her wounds.

Kori frowned quietly, busy looking over all the herbs she had gathered. Making medicine was hard and making sure her cures actually worked was even harder, with all the superstition around it was difficult to distinguish it from genuine remedies for sickness, but she thought she managed well enough.

Kori looked up as Raven and Victor entered. Raven's wounds looked bad, but she knew she'd be able to tend them.

She began treating Raven.

"You tell me something," she said to Kori. "Why do people love him? They never say anything against him."

"Lord Garfield is not a evil man," Kori told Raven.

"I don't believe you," Raven told her. "He took everything from me."

"There is a reason for that," Kori explained. "But you are not ready to hear it."

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

"It is not a good time for you to hear it," Kori continued applying herbs and vinegar to her wounds. "You will recover, Raven."

"You know me?" she asked.

"Only that you married Malchior."

"At least I'll get better," Raven said. Victor walked in.

"Are you well?" he asked.

"I'll recover," she replied.

"Good, he'll be happy to hear it."

"I don't believe you," she told him.

"He's not a bad man, he wants to change this country," Victor said. "He has good intentions, but not one person can teach him anything, he gets distracted easily."

"What is he trying to learn?" Raven asked.

"Latin, reading writing, and all the things he'll need to rule this country."

'I could teach him," Raven suggested, she didn't like him, but having a fool as a leader of a country was too humiliating to think about.

"I thought you hated him," Victor said.

"I don't like him, but I don't want this country to be ruled by an ass," Raven told him.

Victor laughed, "Very interesting choice of words, but still, after what he did to you—"

"I'm only doing this because he punished Adonis for all the horrible things he did to me; it will give me something to occupy my time until I fully recover."

"I see, I'll tell him that you're offering your services," Victor got up and prepared to leave.

"Could you answer a question for me?" Raven asked.

"Yes," Victor answered.

"Why won't Lord Gar see me himself?"

"He said it would be right for him to come, he didn't want to upset you by being here," Victor looked at her. "You need to rest."

Raven didn't need to be told twice; she lay down on the bed, closed her eyes and slept peacefully for the first time in months.

* * *

Garfield stood in a small clearing, it was a private place, there was a small, clear pond that he would often visit, to think and contemplate what he was going to do next. This was also the place where he had buried Terra, this had been their favorite spot to go and have long conversations. He had accomplished everything that he had set out to do. What was he going to do now?

"Hello Terra, what should I do now?" he asked. There was only silence.

"I'm sorry I was away so long, I had to stop Malchior before he destroyed this country. I guess you know about that better than anyone."

Terra was gone, but he always talked as if she were there with him. It was something he did and it comforted him somehow.

"I saw Raven today; Adonis was torturing her for no reason. She probably blames me for it. I wouldn't blame her though…"

"Gar," Victor called to him.

"What Vic," Gar asked.

"Raven has offered to teach you to read," he informed his best friend.

"You tell her that I was trying?" Gar asked.

"Yes," Vic replied.

"Why'd she offer?"

"She said she didn't want the leader of this country to be an ass."

Gar began to laugh.

"So she _does_ have a sense of humor," he chortled. "Please tell her I accept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> *This is what I get for trying to write an accurate period piece. Sometimes what I learn scares me.
> 
> *I do feel tired in church about every Sunday, sometimes I do dose off and my mom has to wake me, and I'm not Catholic. Made sure to do research though, at least, for what I need to know.


	4. Chapter Three: Fall into Your Sunlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven begins Garfield's tutelage, also they both get drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Please feel free to expand on this story if you want to, but all expansions must be approved by me. As for the name of this universe, I dub it…The SpellboundVerse, 'because it's heavily based off the "Spellbound" episode. And this universe relies on magic instead of superpowers. I apologize that Maldouche is not much of a douche bag in this chapter, but I guarantee you, he's going to turn into one.

* * *

****

_This is the Romanomicon, a powerful book of magic and sorcery," Malchior opened the book. "I've learned many spells and incantations from this book."_

_She wasn't illiterate, in the Temple of Azar she had learned to read and write, but had never actually studied magic and usually spent her time in meditation._

_She read the books he owned with interest and they had spent their time traveling the country. They had even traveled to the faraway country of Syr to read the mysterious stones there._

_Malchior had decided to work his way into the upper class by gaining the favor of a nobleman. No small feat, but he said he could manage._

_They were traveling from the country of Bursea after they had discovered the secrets of a fabled spell book called the Bursean Chronicle._

_They had heard rumors that King Sebastian Blood was going to be travelling through the area. "We should hurry," Malchior warned. "Bandits are everywhere."_

_They were walking quickly, trying to find an inn before dark. There were voices in the distance._

_"Almost home and none too soon!" Sebastian exclaimed. We'll be within the walls of our castle speedily."_

_They made their way through the woods. Suddenly, voices rose and shouts were heard._

_"Where did all these bandits come from?" Raven asked._

_"Just when I thought we were going to get through this without an incident," Malchior grumbled._

_"Necronom Hezberek Mortix!" Malchior chanted, sending bandits flying. Raven was back to back with him. She was ready for a fight._

_"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven shouted; waves of dark energy shot out, knocking bandits off their feet. She unsheathed a sword and started hacking away at the bandits. The remaining bandits fell dead at her feet and the rest fled._

_They looked up to see King Sebastian Blood staring at them._

_"I'm impressed!" Sebastian replied. "Is that magic?"_

_"Yes, my Liege," Malchior replied._

_"I could use good people like you. Besides, it is not safe here. It would be best if you traveled with us."_

_They both bowed before him. "We would be honored, Your Majesty," Malchior said. They fell in line with the others in the group, and headed off to Steel Estate, also the capital of Steel Kingdom, for which it was named._

* * *

Raven's thoughts spun as she paced back and forth, waiting for Lord Garfield to arrive. She had received word that he wanted to start lessons as soon as possible.

She hadn't decided what to make of him yet. He was a mystery to her. Just what were his intentions and motives and what his plans were for her. She was just grateful to be alive.

She saw him walk in, looking like he was awake, barely. He blinked and cleared his throat.

"Have I kept you waiting for long?" he asked, unsure of how this was going to turn out.

"No, I haven't been here long," she replied.

She began teaching him the basics, mainly the alphabet and such so he could learn to read, he hadn't had time to be taught, not even by Terra, because he was gone on so many campaigns.

 _It's like teaching a stone. An absent minded stone that can't pay attention,_ she thought.

Still, he did try hard to pay attention. She did keep striking the table with a stick when he fell asleep and he did that quite often.

It took her most of the day to teach him the Latin alphabet. He'd finally managed to get the basics of it and she was relieved that she'd been able to pound it into his head, even though it seemed like an eternity before he got it.

"I suppose that's good enough for today," she said. "Any more and I don't think you'd be able to think."

"Thank you," he admitted. "You didn't…you didn't have to do this for me, you know."

"If you're going to rule this country, I don't want you to be stupid," she admitted. "That's the only reason why this is happening."

"I see. So we have an understanding, then?" he asked. At least they were going to be civil to each other.

"Yes, we have an understanding, Master," she replied. "I will be working if you have need of my services."

"All right, I will call you if I need you," he said, he turned and left, she soon departed to do chores. At least he wasn't trying to seduce her, he didn't act like an animal, like Malchior did, but still, and she didn't want to think about what would happen if he _tried_ to win her affections, she was afraid she just might let him.

_Garfield had lived in Jump Estate all his life. He had grown up working hard. He was a Fletcher by trade and didn't often leave the estate. Travel was dangerous. He could shoot a bow but he didn't have any military experience. Nobles' sons became knights. It had always been his dream to become one and travel the world. He was also a blacksmith and could mend swords._

_It was a long, tedious day. He had worked from early morning to late in the afternoon, only taking a break to eat some bread and water. Serfs didn't get to eat rich foods, not that Garfield was interested in meat, he had always been fond of animals and pitied the fact that they often ended up being eaten._

_He preferred fruit and vegetables instead and lived very simply. It wasn't a very eventful life but he was happy._

_He wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued carving the longbow he was making. Malchior had recently been crowned King of the realm and he was preparing to go to war to expand their territory._

_Garfield heard the door open and heard someone walk in._

_"How might I serve you?" he bowed respectfully upon seeing the knight. He didn't often have visitors during the day. The knight's visor was down, concealing his face._

_"You are a blacksmith, are you not?" the knight asked, gazing at all the tools and the anvil._

_"Yes sir," Garfield replied._

_"What's your name?" the knight asked._

_"Garfield," he replied._

_"I want you to make a sword for me, as commissioned for a very important noble."_

_"Of course, what does he want?"_

_The knight gave him the specifics._

_"I'll have it done as soon as I can."_

_The knight left. Garfield finished the sword in three weeks. The knight was surprised that he had finished. He took it back to the noble and gave it to him._

_"Lord Malchior," Richard said, presenting him with the sword. "Here it is, as you requested."_

_"Excellent," Malchior said, "Who made this?"_

_"A blacksmith named Garfield," Richard replied._

_"It's the finest sword I've ever seen. Have him drafted into the royal army. I need all the men I can get; we're going to make this kingdom great again."_

_"Yes, Liege," Richard replied. He'd send someone to the town right away, he wouldn't have time to see Garfield in person, but he had a feeling that they would meet again eventually._

* * *

Raven had been busy with work the entire afternoon. It was time to clean everyone's clothes. She carried them down to a pond she had found and began washing them. It was warm and the sun was bright in the sky. She felt her life was actually better for a change.

She heard a _snap_ as she heard someone walking a short distance away from her. Raven looked up and saw Lord Garfield quietly bend down and pick up some small stones. He began skipping them across the lake and after a few moments, he stopped and began talking off his shirt.

 _What is he doing?_ She thought. She knew it wouldn't be right for her to watch him, she should be working but she couldn't help but be curious.

He took off his pants and turned to face her, although he wasn't even looking at her. Raven felt a blush coming to her cheeks.

Lord Garfield was _built_ , even more than Malchior, who did have muscles but did not do too much physical exercise because he relied on his magic. Garfield wasn't huge, muscle-wise but he had broad shoulders and strong arms. He turned around and she noticed he had muscles in his back and shoulder blades where you didn't think there _were_ muscles **. _*_ ** She noticed a scar across his upper chest and wondered where it came from.

He suddenly dove in with a loud _splash_ and Raven quickly turned her mind back to her work. She shouldn't be watching him. She had to finish and leave. Why did he come _here_ of all places? Raven sighed; it seemed there was no way to get away from him.

She was surprised he actually liked to swim, ***** considering the fact that it was a superstition that the plague was spread through water. She didn't believe that of course, but she hadn't really seen anyone swimming since she had arrived there.

Suddenly, a hand caught Raven by the front of her dress and she shrieked as she was hauled into the water. She came up, splashing about, getting her bearings and looked around for the perpetrator, only to find Lord Garfield laughing loudly.

"The look on your face is unforgettable," he laughed. "I think that's one of my best antics that I've pulled off."

"Do you always engage in such frivolity on unwitting strangers, Master?" she asked, adding "Master," to remind herself that she didn't have the right to speak openly with him.

"Sometimes," he replied. "You continue to surprise me. You can swim."

She didn't say anything.

Garfield was desperately trying to think of something to say so he wouldn't have to think about _looking_ at her. She was _exquisite_. She had soft features but did not have the noble classes "I am much better than the common peasant" attitude he had seen among the women who had been Malchior's mistresses. He never thought they were attractive.

Gar noticed the calluses on Raven's hands; she might have been a peasant at some time in her life. Nobility never knew what hard labor was, all of Malchior's mistresses had been of noble birth and didn't have to work and it was amusing, watching them as they tried to adjust to a servants' life. It was more comedic than anything. He had to wonder what he had done, what profession she might have chosen; she carried herself like a noble person, even more so than the rich and powerful did. And she seemed to carry a heavy weight on her shoulders, some dark secret.

She had slightly short violet hair and gray skin, which made him wonder if she really was human. She had a thin build but wasn't weak, and he was impressed that she didn't shriek at the sight of dirt, like some of the others they had brought back from Steel Estate, he contemplated shutting them away just so he wouldn't have to hear them complain.

She also had a very nice figure, which didn't help him at all, considering that it wouldn't really be right for him to be attracted to her, but he couldn't resist. She was mysterious and alluring and he couldn't help but felt drawn to her.

 _How could that creep want_ my _wife Terra when he had_ her? He thought. It didn't make any sense at all.

"Here, I'll help you out," he told her, he led her to the shore and he pulled her out.

"You look like you're cold," he said. Despite the warm weather, he could see she was visibly shaking. "Take this," he offered her his cloak. "And get out of your soaked clothes. When you're dry you can finish your work."

He turned and left. She watched him go, confused, what had just happened? And why was he _staring_ at her like that?

She didn't know what to think. Was he actually _attracted_ to her? It was too confusing and she wasn't sure about her feelings regarding him. He had taken everything she had ever had and destroyed it, but despite that she hadn't been able to take her eyes off him when she saw him, until she had forced herself to keep working.

She was utterly bewildered, not even Malchior had looked at her in such a manner. Was it lust or something else? She didn't know, but she was going to do her best to put it out of her mind.

Garfield was busy pacing up and down, trying to distract his usually easily distractible mind, it wasn't working. His thoughts kept going back to her, how beautiful she was and he couldn't stop thinking about her even though he was desperately trying to.

He would never be able to have her, it wouldn't be right, after all, he killed her husband and had indentured her to servitude, how could he possibly have her fall in love with him?

He called for some wine; he needed to clear his head. He drank a cup, the taste did help him a little, and it gave him something to think about.

Raven asked Victor if she was allowed to leave the castle, he told her yes, but not to try anything suspicious. He also warned her to be careful; the peasants didn't like her very much.

She told him she would return in a few hours, since her chores were done.

She left the palace and made her way to the local inn. She raised her hood up over her face. She walked into the building.

"Get me the strongest ale you have, I _really_ need a drink," she asked, putting a few crowns on the table, they paid her wages, which surprised her, but not nearly enough to buy her freedom.

"All right," he said. He began pouring her a large mug of ale. She began drinking; it made her feel better already. By Azar, whoever invented Ale deserved all the thanks in the world. She'd never been one to drink, but right now, she was glad she could.

* * *

_They were surrounded. There were so many bandits they didn't even know how many there were._

_"Oh fo ***** —" Garfield began to curse._

_"Garfield, shut your mouth!" Terra shouted angrily at him._

_"Yes, Milady," he squeaked nervously. There was no telling what she was going to do if she became angry._

_"Well, this is krape ***** isn't it?" Garfield asked._

_"Must you constantly swear?" Terra countered._

_"I only swear when I'm very angry," Garfield replied._

_"I noticed," Terra told him._

_They stood, back to back, fighting off the bandits with relative ease; he had been trained as a knight and knew how to fight in close combat._

_Terra used her powers to send rocks smashing into the bandits, but they just kept coming and they were beginning to wear down._

_Suddenly a man came riding in, wielding a large battle axe; he began chopping down bandits like trees. Gar ran a bandit through with his sword and quickly decapitated another._

_Terra withdrew a small knife from inside a pouch and threw it into a man's throat. He fell dead with a gurgle._

_The man beheaded a bandit who was trying to run away as the rest fled at the arrival of the newcomer. Garfield was relieved the man had shown up when he did, he didn't know how long they were going to be able to hold out until help arrived, but luckily, the man had found them._

_"What's your name stranger?" Garfield asked the dark skinned man who had fought off the bandits._

_He told them his name. He gaped at him._

_"What does it mean?" Garfield asked. "There is no way I can properly pronounce that."_

_"It means "the victor", and I quite like my name," the man said._

_"Can we just call you Victor?" Garfield asked._

_"That is fine with me," he said._

_"Where are you going Victor?" Garfield asked._

_"I heard that Malchior is declaring war on Gordania and that he needs all the men he can get. I'll offer him my services."_

_"Then come with us, we are headed that way as well," Garfield said._

_They set off together and all their adventures were just beginning._

* * *

"Richard, look at Gar, he's stone drunk," Victor said. Garfield was stumbling around the room and knocking things over.

"I noticed, he's never drank that much before. I wonder what's troubling him," Richard frowned.

Victor looked up and saw Raven staggered back into the hallway. "I think she's worse than he is!"

"They're _both_ drunk, what is going _on_ with them?" Richard asked.

"This is better than a travelling fair!" Victor chortled.

"Hey, at least we don't need to ask for a show," Richard joined in. Yes, the two of them were very entertaining when they weren't sober. And Garfield had to _try_ to be funny. At least they'd found out that eight goblets of wine actually made their friend amusing. They were right; he tried too hard to make them laugh.

"We're not going to tell him what he's been doing right?" Victor asked.

"Where would the fun be in that?" Richard agreed. They burst out laughing. This would just be their secret.

_"What do you want for your life, Gar?" Terra asked, sitting next to him by the fire Victor had helped them build._

_"I just want to go on an adventure, see new places, that's why I was overjoyed when I was drafted. I'm not noble born so I never thought I'd get to become a knight."_

_"Me, I like to travel, see new places, and help people," Terra replied._

_"So what do you plan to do after this war is over?" Gar asked._

_"Settle down somewhere, find a nice husband, a girl can dream can't she?" Terra asked._

_"Who's the lucky man?" he asked._

_"I don't know, I'll tell you when I find him," she replied._

_"Whoever he is, he'll be really lucky," Garfield said._

_"What about you?" she asked. "Don't you want to start a family?"_

_"Maybe, sometime, but not until the war is over," Garfield looked thoughtful. He had never given women much thought, but Terra was different, she seemed to understand him and he enjoyed her company. Maybe he found someone special after all._

* * *

Garfield staggered down the hall, trying to find his bedchamber. He couldn't remember where it was; at least he was trying to.

He stumbled, fell and hit something soft, and gazed down at the figure of a woman.

"Raven," he grumbled, "That you?"

"Yes, Masterrgh," she slurred.

"You sound worse than me," he countered.

"Least I look better than you," she added with a slurred laugh.

It was strange; he'd never heard her laugh. He wondered what she sounded like when she was sober.

"That you do, you look lovely," he added, not quite sure what he'd just said. She blushed.

He looked down and realized she was beneath him, his arms kept her pinned between them. Oh, this wasn't good, or was it? He couldn't remember.

"How many did you have?" he asked.

"Ten, and you Master?" she replied.

"Eight," he told her.

"See, I can out-drink you too," she gulped. What was she doing down on the floor? And why was he on top of her? This was supposed to be a bad thing wasn't it?

"You're not going to sleep with me are you?" she asked.

"Huh?" he slurred, he didn't understand what she just said.

"Nothing, I'm not a slutte ***** ," she managed to say.

"What'd you say?" he asked.

 _Thank Azar he's dense,_ she thought, relieved.

"Master, I gotta get up," she murmured.

"Right, right," he replied as he rolled off her and clamored to his feet. He turned and tried to walk away but smacked his head on the wall and fell over. Raven actually started laughing.

She stumbled back to her room and Richard and Victor had to help Garfield up and back to his room.

Raven lay in her bed and tried to sleep. She was very confused and unsure of her emotions. She was trying to sort out her feelings and figure out what she was supposed to do.

Garfield frowned and tossed and turned in his bed. Too much was happening between them too fast. They'd fallen into each other's arms on accident! They were both drunk and he couldn't even remember what he'd said but he recalled that she had blushed.

He was trying to sort out his feelings, was he really going to replace Terra so soon? And with _Raven_ of all people? He remembered Terra, and he knew that if she could speak with him, he knew she would want him to be happy.

He finally drifted off to sleep and tried to ease his troubled mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> *I did find out they did have the F word back then, except it was spelled with an o instead of a u.
> 
> * krape is old English for crap.
> 
> * My brother's in the army and he lifts weights all the time and he's built, and he's like "I'm getting fat and my muscles (abs) are gone." And I'm like, "Nope they're not." He's built like this by the way. And he's got awesome tattoos!
> 
> * Swimming was not popular in the Middle Ages, as they thought plague could be spread through water.
> 
> * Slutte is old English for slut. Yep, that word existed back then.
> 
> If you want to write a side story for this fanfic, here are some guidelines:
> 
> 1\. Write realistically for this universe. This is set in the Middle Ages, so if you write for it, think about how they would talk in the middle ages, no slang. If you're going to have cuss words in your fic, please look at how they would spell it back then (PM Me, I'll give you how they were spelled back then and I will allow cussing as long as it's not overkill).
> 
> 2\. Write and try to be historically accurate, if you want help and have questions, PM me I'll help you research anything you need to know.
> 
> 3\. Keep the characters in character. If they're not in character it won't be good.
> 
> Those are my three simple guidelines. If you want to write something let me know and I'll help you set up the DocX so you can send me your fic so I can approve it.


	5. Chapter Four: The Future's Open Wide, Beyond Believing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garfield and Raven's relationship grows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I suppose you're wondering why Maldouche hasn't been acting like a douche bag, well, he is in this chapter. Enjoy!

__

Raven happened to be walking through the castle gardens, there had been a feast that night, she'd finished her chores and took the time to rest and not do anything. She came across a fountain and sat down beside it. Flower petals were falling from the balconies and landing in the fountains. She reached out and plucked up a rose blossom floating by her. She had always loved roses. Malchior, before he had changed, used to bring her roses, but after he became King, the roses stopped and he chased other women.

"Are you all right?" a voice asked. She turned and stared. It was Lord Garfield. She couldn't stop staring, she began blushing.

 _She's so gorgeous,_ he thought. _The scent of roses, it's all over her._

She couldn't speak, she couldn't even move. She was unsure of what to say.

"Those blossoms, do they please you?" Garfield asked. He was completely tongue tied. He wasn't like all the other nobles who looked down on servants. She had always intrigued him, ever since he had first laid eyes on her. But tonight, he was completely mesmerized. She was wearing a beautiful dress, he had requested that all the servants wear the finest clothes in the castle and she was wearing a black and blue gown that made her even more exquisite than even he remembered.

"Huh—uh—well—yes," she managed to stammer out.

"As well they should, ah, what I mean to say is, are you well Raven?" he was concerned about her.

"I must depart," she told him. She had to leave, it was all too much, and he was focusing on her. He had guests to entertain and he shouldn't waste his time with her.

"Why?" he asked, moved closer to her. He took her hand in his, leaning forward slightly.

"I have…work I have to do," she replied, coming up with an excuse. He didn't believe a word she said though.

"Please, Raven, you can stay," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. His lips were centimeters away from hers.

"No, I can't," she told him and pulled away. He watched her go without a word.

Garfield watched her leave and sighed, "I can't believe I did that."

He saw her retreat into the distance. "I can't believe I've fallen in love with you so quickly. I shouldn't feel this way….but I do…"

She was gorgeous and witty and intriguing and everything that he had ever wanted in a woman, even more than Terra was, and he had loved her so much.

These feelings had surfaced shortly after the drunken incident; he still remembered staring down at her and the blush on her face. Whatever he said must have been a compliment.

His thoughts were constantly about her, he couldn't go anywhere without seeing her. It was torment beyond reason.

Raven managed to make it back to her room. She was breathing heavily. What had she done? What was she supposed to do? Her emotions were conflicted, so much that she thought she might lose her sanity. Her feelings for Malchior were still a part of who she was. She couldn't just give them up like they didn't matter. She sighed, what was she supposed to do?

She needed to maintain as little contact with him outside of lessons as possible. She was afraid he was going to break her resolve to hate him.

_King Sebastian Blood has been very ill for several months. He wondered if he was going to die and he called for Malchior._

" _I don't have any sons to carry on my name; I want you to be my heir. You're a good man, I see you as family," Sebastian Blood gave him a small smile._

" _I don't really think there's any need for that, they said you're going to recover," Malchior assured him._

_Sebastian sighed, "That's very good."_

_He didn't hear Malchior bring in a pitcher of water, didn't hear him soaking a cloth in it. Before he could react, he felt a wet cloth being held over his face. He struggled to breathe. He felt like he was drowning. Only then did he realize he had been cruelly betrayed by a man he had called his friend. He went limp in a few minutes and died in his bed_ _***** _ _._

" _You old fool," Malchior smirked. "You always_ were _too trusting. It all went exactly as planned."_

_He had been planning this for quite some time. He had thought of everything, even how to poison Sebastian without arousing suspicion. Since the cup bearer would taste everything before the king did to check for poison he always put it in after he knew the cup bearer had tasted it so everyone would think that there was no poison in the food or drink._

_He had planned everything perfectly. There was no one to oppose him now._

_Malchior went out to the other servants and said, "King Sebastian Blood is dead. He has named me his heir."_

" _He really told you that?" Raven asked. She was stunned; everyone said that King Sebastian would recover._

" _Yes, he did, he told me earlier today, he fell asleep and died."_

" _Long live the King! Long live the King!" the servants began shouted. Malchior smiled and Raven's blood ran cold. There was something in his eyes and it terrified her._

* * *

Gar was restless; he needed to take a walk.

"I'm going out," he told Richard.

"All right," Richard replied.

He headed to the pond and decided to visit Terra's grave. He saw a lovely field of irises had sprung up around her grave.

"Irises," he murmured, they had been Terra's favorite flowers.

 _Even here irises grow,_ he thought.

"It's not fair!" Gar exclaimed. "I have found love, in a place where love should never bloom." Why'd it have to be _her_ of all people? Love was like a flower. It was planted, then it grew, it bloomed and blossomed, and for him, it had literally died in his arms, and now, it was happening again. Would he lose Raven just like he lost Terra? If she ever returned his feelings in the first place.

"Terra, I'm sorry," he apologized. He bowed his head quietly and looked over at her grave. Her statue stared at him. Not like she could talk to him anyway.

He hated to admit it, but he had fallen in love with Raven. He'd betrayed his love for Terra in the worst way possible, at least that's how part of him felt. The other part felt that Terra would have wanted him to be happy.

Raven had finished all her duties and was taking a walk outside. She'd wandered down to the pond and began walking around it; it was a short distance, but not too short. It still gave her plenty of exercise.

She had reached the other side of the pond when she thought she heard some noise. She moved forward and saw a figure kneeling by a grave and she couldn't see the inscription.

"Lord Garfield?" she asked.

Garfield looked up at her.

"Are you alright Master?" she queried.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Why are you here?"

"I was just walking here, Master," she replied.

"I see," he told her. "We should head back. It's getting late and the clouds are rolling in."

"Climb up," he said. "There's no sense in you walking back."

"What would you—" they both began as they started off.

"Nothing," Garfield said. "You answer first."

"What would you want, if you could have anything Master?" she asked.

"I would want…to just get away from it all, to not think about everything that's happened, even to live a normal life, without my burdens."

"Sounds nice, Master," Raven murmured. It must be nice, not having a heavy weight on your shoulders.

"We'll find some neutral shelter. We won't make it back in time."

"All right, Master," Raven said stiffly.

He led the horse to a small cabin.

"Aren't you going to dry your clothes?" he asked.

"Uh—No," she said quickly.

"What? Why not?" Gar asked. She looked like she was soaked.

"Because I'm fine as I am," she sputtered. He didn't expect her to change _in front of him_ did he? "And I don't change in front of others."

"Seriously? It's nothing I haven't seen," he said. It's not like he was going to _watch_ her undress, he would give her privacy…well maybe a _quick_ peek wouldn't hurt. Then he remembered what she was like when she was angry and decided against it.

"That's not the point, Master," she said quickly.

"Fine, be shy," he told her coyly, an amused expression on his face. "It's on you if you catch your death."

"If you'll excuse me, Cielo requires attention. Feel free to dry off while you have your privacy, drying him will take an eternity." He shut the door behind him.

He groomed Cielo getting him cleaned and dried off as much as he could. Raven began removing her clothes except for her chemise and hung up her wet dress to dry.

She stared blankly at the fire; she just hoped she'd be able to get her clothes dry soon.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Gar's voice asked as he opened the door.

"Raven…" he began, mesmerized by the sight of her, he moved towards her.

Raven let out a shriek and moving backwards, she stumbled and fell over the chair she had been sitting on and she fell back toward the burning fireplace. Garfield launched himself forward, managing to grip her wrist and pull her away from the fire, the chair she had knocked over, sent his shirt into it in the process.

There was a moment of silence, Garfield finally regained his wits and realized he was sprawled out on the floor on top of Raven, his arm flung across her sides. She was the first to open her eyes and let out a surprised gasp.

Gar pushed himself up so he was on his hands and knees. He took in the sight of her, beneath him, blushing as she stared up at him like a trapped deer.

He gazed down at her for a moment and then noticed Cielo neighing outside. He quickly got to his feet and stood up.

"Uh, sorry," he apologized and turned and made his way outside to his horse, practically running.

"Come," he said. "Let's away."

He took her hand and helped her up onto the horse, he sat behind her. He couldn't help but feel glad.

Raven's mind began to wonder. Just who _was_ Lord Garfield?

* * *

_Garfield was quiet in Mass as he listened to the reading. He managed to stay awake and he finally left._

_Richard had returned from a long journey and he called them over to his estate._

" _I have something to show you," he pulled it out. "It was very expensive but it was worth it."_

 _It was a Bible, one printed by_ _Gutenberg._

" _That's nice, we can actually read it too," Victor said._

" _Can't be that interesting," Garfield said._

_Richard began looking through it. He began thumbing through the books and came across the stories about King David. The three of them enjoyed these stories, because they understood war._

_One day, they were reading about the story of Absalom_ _***** _ _when Garfield actually began to pay attention. He'd been preparing for his coup for a long time, but was unsure of how to win the people over._

" _Wait, how did he win the people over again?" Garfield asked._

" _He basically waited by the gate and patronized everyone there. "And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!" Richard read and gave Garfield a look. "You're going to do this aren't you?"_

" _Sounds like a good plan to me," Garfield said. "It worked didn't it?"_

" _Well Absalom won the people over, but the coup didn't end well," Richard said. "And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him." That's what it says. David's captain of the guard Joab gutted him."_

" _He deserved that, he was a villain," Garfield muttered._

" _And you, you're not a villain?" Victor asked._

" _Of course not!" Garfield insisted. "How did he get stuck in a tree?"_

" _He had ridiculously long hair," Richard said._

" _Good thing I don't have that either," Garfield laughed, "and I'm not a villain."_

" _What else did he do during this coup?" Garfield asked. Pouring himself a glass of wine, he began drinking._

" _He…well, I don't know if you would want to do part of this plan," Richard admitted._

" _What part?" Gar asked._

" _Absalom went and slept with David's concubines, to disgrace David and boost morale," Richard stared at the text. That must have been_ some _morale boost._

_Garfield spat out his wine in surprise._

" _That's like a mistress right?" Garfield thought about it for a moment. "That means I'd have to…go sleep with his wife." He shuddered at that. He had heard rumors that Malchior had a spouse, but he supposed it was only a rumor, he never talked about a wife nor did Gar ever see anyone who acted like they were married to him when he had been at the castle._

" _I may want to overthrow Malchior but I'm not_ that _desperate."_

" _But you still are going to, aren't you?" Victor asked._

" _Yes, Victor, I am," he replied. No one was going to stop him._

Garfield sighed, what had happened earlier that day? Sure he'd pulled her from the fire, keeping her from falling in. That was the chivalrous thing to do, but being close to her…exhilarated him more than anything.

She had looked ravishingly beautiful and even though she was modestly covered, she was still alluring. The blush on her face had embarrassed him. He had made a quick getaway out the door to regain his composure.

Raven was still trying to regain her composure in her bedchamber. She had to teach him lessons since he had decided to postpone them to the afternoon.

Lord Garfield was far more intriguing than she had suspected, there was something about him that attracted her. He was as handsome as any man she'd seen, but there was something else. He seemed very open with her and did not look down on her for being a servant. He always seemed to respect her.

She did not forget what he had done to her, however and refused to entertain the thought of having any feelings for him. But he was still intriguing.

She sighed, straightened her dress and prepared to go to the main room. She had to give Garfield his lessons after all.

_Garfield Logan sat in his estate with Richard and Victor at his side. He didn't say much to either of them. All he did was stare blankly at the wall._

" _She's gone," he said. "Terra's gone."_

" _We know Gar, we were all there," Richard told him._

" _We won't let him get away with this," Victor said._

" _It's not fair," Gar said. "Why did they shoot her?"_

" _She_ did _refuse to sleep with Malchior," Victor told him. "His Majesty is a spoiled child, who throws a tantrum when he can't get what he wants."_

" _He's a murderer," Garfield said. "I still don't understand…"_

_Suddenly, a dark realization hit him. All the knights knew that Malchior chased other women, especially if they were other married women. He'd heard rumors that one of his best generals was shot down in battle and he conveniently seduced the wife afterwards._

" _He was trying to kill me…" Gar's voice trailed off. "And he…and he ordered that...I…be…shot…"_

_The realization was too much for him to handle. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" He began screaming the word uncontrollably, knocking off the wine goblet on the table and sent the plate of food flying, spilling its contents on the dirt floor._

" _She died. She died because of me. It's my fault she's dead," Gar said, burying his face in his hands. He remembered feeling her life ebbing away as she lay in his arms. He remembered her last words and remembered seeing Malchior concerned over her. He suspected Malchior had murdered her on purpose, only to discover that_ he _was the intended victim._ _ *****_

" _What am I going to do?" he asked his friends._

" _You're going to get a hold of yourself, Garfield," Victor said, firmly taking his friend by his shoulders._

" _You have to be strong, for Terra, for Kori, for all of us," Richard said._

" _You're right," Garfield said, taking in a deep breath. "I_ am _going to make him pay for this."_

_The inferno that was his rage would not be sated until Malchior was a dead man. He wouldn't stop until he killed him. He was going to make him pay for what he did to Terra. He wasn't going to do whatever he pleased anymore. But it would take time and planning, fortunately, he had three friends who were very good at those things._

* * *

She was waiting for him and didn't say a word to him as he walked into the room. She ran him through how to read Latin and she began teaching him how to read in English. He struggled at first, but he began to understand, he had received some education when he was training to become a knight, but it wasn't nearly enough, which is why she had become his tutor in the first place.

Malchior had been all those things, Charming, witty, well educated, but he had used all these things to manipulate and control others. There was something noticeably different about Garfield, he had most of these characteristics but he had a conscious and he was a rather decent fellow, even though she was thoroughly set on hating him for the rest of eternity.

Raven watched him with interest as Gar continued to progress in learning everything she was teaching him. He had memorized the alphabet and now she was teaching him the grammar structure and how to read Latin.

She kept it simple and she was surprised that he was quite intelligent; he was smarter than she gave him credit for. She recalled that everyone seemed to underestimate him. That was something that she wouldn't forget any time soon.

"Is there any real point in me learning all this?" Garfield asked, gesturing to the books.

"You mean the etiquette and diplomacy and the laws I suppose, Master," Raven sighed. "Yes, you have to learn all this."

"And how does this help me become a better ruler again?" he queried. He wasn't interested in these books one bit. Neither was he interested in chess, or hunting or other pastimes that held the attention of other nobles. He also had no intention to become a glutton or a philanderer, he wondered how they could act this way constantly. He would rather hear stories or participate in jousts or take long walks.

The leisurely life of a nobleman did not appeal to him in the slightest. His takeover had been born of necessity and vengeance, the latter being more important to him than the former.

"Don't you believe in justice, Master?" she asked.

That caught his attention. Since when were the nobility truly interested in genuine justice? Gar sighed aloud. How long had it been since he'd used that word?

_Malchior was in the inn at Jump Estate when he heard about the speech the man called "Absalom" was giving in the square. The stories were that this man was an insurrectionist who spouted lies about him and his rule over the people. He wanted to see this man for himself. He arrived at the square with his best archer._

" _Kill him!" Malchior ordered._

" _Fellow citizens, my friends, tonight, Malchior's iron grip on this country will be broken!" the man who called himself Absalom shouted. "I will bring him down and put an end to his rule over you. I will eliminate his stupid laws and make your lives easier, and all you have to do is follow me."_

" _I will—" he began, when he was struck through the heart by an arrow. He dropped dead. The people gasped in shock._

_Malchior laughed. So much for an uprising._

" _Hear me, citizens!" Malchior moved up to where the dead man had been standing, he shouted. "Anyone who spreads distention will meet the same fate! I will—"_

" _I had to test this just in case, but I—I never thought it would actually happen. Malchior, if you did indeed kill the man known as Absalom in front of everyone, I should tell you that he was a prisoner, whose execution was scheduled for today, that was not me!" a voice shouted from nowhere._

" _What?" Malchior shouted, he glanced around wildly. He couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice nor why it sounded not quite human._

" _I assure you, Absalom is real, I_ do _exist," Garfield spoke through the contraption Victor had invented that could amplify his voice so he could speak from far away._

" _Now, try to kill me!" Garfield taunted._

" _You bastard!" Malchior snarled._

" _Come on, kill me! Right now!" Garfield shouted, he could actually_ see _Malchior's reactions, but he was out of range of the archers and he could only gloat at how well this had turned out. His voice was distorted by the invention and he thought it was for the best; after all, he wouldn't want to be identified by his voice._

" _What's the matter? Can't you do it?" Gar goaded. "Well Malchior, it seems that you can't kill me after all."_

_People were talking; his spies were reporting that some were siding with him. This was very good._

_Gar waited for a moment, "So there_ are _some people you can't kill. But it won't be too long before I am able to sentence you to death. Let's meet again soon, Malchior."_

"He's _going to sentence me to death?" Malchior scoffed. "Sounds interesting! I accept your challenge Absalom."_

" _Absalom…" Malchior began._

" _Malchior…" Garfield spoke aloud._

" _I will hunt you down wherever you are hiding and I_ will _eliminate you!" they both said, even though Malchior was in plain view._

"I _am," Malchior began._

"I _am," Gar said._

"JUSTICE _!" Their voices were unified on that one, single word._

 _Gar smiled, he was having_ so _much fun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> * Thank God for the Bible, I knew it would come in handy when I need it, I was actually thinking of how to pull off this coup and then I remembered that story.
> 
> * Bible stories are so handy. Seriously, even if you don't believe in it, there are some really interesting stories in there. Ben-Hadad, the King of Aram died this way after his servant Hazael went to the prophet Elisha to ask him if his master was going to recover and Elisha told Hazael he was going to be the next king of Aram. Hazael told Ben-Hadad he was going to recover, and then he smothered him with a wet cloth.
> 
> * I have never written a character having a heroic blue screen of death before, writing one for Gar was too much fun.
> 
> Had to throw in a Death Note reference, don't really like the manga or the anime, mainly because of Lightdouche, and I hate Light Yagami, but I had to do the reference just because Maldouche is like Light Yagami, but without a Death Note. I always rooted for L; Beast Boy is like L in this regard, but with a revenge motive.
> 
> The RomeoXJuliet references are obligatory as it's the only romantic anime or anything that's made me cry and go "AWWW!"
> 
> I recommend everyone watch RomeoXJuliet, even dudes because "It's so fluffeh!"
> 
> I know, I know, all the (U)nresolved (S)exual (T)ension is killing people. I just love messing with you guys.


	6. Chapter Five: To Know Why Hope Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reasons for Terra's death is revealed and Raven is hiding a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Ms. Jareth: I'm totally fine with you using the first two chapter ideas for your story, just write your own version and don't copy-paste mine, that's against the site rules anyway, just give me credit. I was gonna private message you, but you disabled that.

 

* * *

" _You remember our first kiss?" Terra asked._

" _Yeah, under the fireworks at that wedding," Garfield replied._

" _But you slept through the entire wedding," Terra scolded._

" _I marched for three days straight without a break, I couldn't help it."_

" _Gar, that was_ Lord Malchior's _wedding,"_ _she looked at him._

" _Like I care who he married," Garfield shrugged._

" _You were lucky we were sitting in the back. Knowing you, you'll forget all about it," Terra looked out over the pond._

" _So why did you bring me here?" Terra asked._

" _I have an important question to ask you," he told her._

" _Garfield what do you mean?" she asked._

" _What I mean is, Terra, will you marry me?"_

Garfield shifted in his bed, in the midst of a familiar dream. One of the happiest ones he had quite often.

Raven looked around. Lord Garfield was late. This wasn't normal for him. She found Victor.

"He's probably asleep, he always enjoys sleeping in," Victor said. "But I really wouldn't try to wake him if I were you."

She didn't hear his warning. Raven headed to her Master's chamber, completely prepared to give him a piece of her mind, as much as she could considering her social status anyway.

"Lord Garfield!" she called out. "Get up!"

There wasn't an answer. She opened the door and moved in quietly.

Lord Garfield was lying in bed asleep, scarcely wearing anything and barely covered in a blanket.

He stirred and the blanket fell off. Raven truly wondered if she could die from embarrassment.

 _Oh Azar, strike me dead!_ She thought. He was naked, it was quite normal for men and women to sleep naked, but women didn't normally go wake men. They usually woke themselves.

Garfield was…her thoughts failed her at this point. She just watched him sleep, while trying very hard not to look at forbidden regions of his body that were only supposed be seen by a spouse, she'd heard stories that he'd been married once.

"She must have been lucky," she muttered. She wondered if it hurt when he fell out of Heaven, it had to be the only place he could have come from. *****

"I always knew there was something that women like about me," Garfield's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Something…" Raven frowned; she saw right through his entendre and wondered if he intended to pull her into that bed with him.

"You're blushing, it's not like you've never seen a naked man before," Garfield said, not knowing how wrong he was, well she had seen one, but not up close. He picked up the blanket from the floor and kept himself covered with it, but barely.

Her wedding night hadn't exactly gone very well, but that was something she didn't want to think about. Just let him think she had some experience and she'd be okay.

"You should get up now, I've been waiting for you," she said, still trying to act like this wasn't something she was uncomfortable with.

"Go outside and wait for me," he told her, he grabbed a shirt and his underclothes and pants. He wasn't really thinking about much of anything until after she had left.

 _What was that all about?_ He wondered. She looked so embarrassed around him. Wait, the way she was acting it _was_ as if she'd never seen a naked man before. But how did that happen? She'd been _married_ so it didn't make any sense.

"I can't think straight anymore," he groaned. He finished dressing and headed out to the room.

Raven felt utterly embarrassed. She should have at least acted like she wasn't uncomfortable around him. It's not like he had tried to sleep with her. She had seen a naked man before, but that was one of the most horrific experiences in her life…

* * *

_Raven walked toward her bedchamber. She hadn't seen her husband for awhile and she was worried._

_She opened the door and was completely mortified. There was Malchior, stark naked, with someone else. It shook her to her core. How could he do this to her? She was filled with rage and she did the first thing that came to her mind._

" _Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she summoned her powers and used them to launch the nude wench out the window and into the garden._

" _Malchior! How could you do this? You're sleeping with someone else and you're married to me!"_

" _Raven, it was complete impulse, I've been…going to physicians for my…problem, and they've helped me recover. We can have children."_

" _Like I'd ever sleep with you again!" she seethed. "It was bad enough that you blamed me for your problems on our wedding night and we didn't even consummate our marriage properly, but now you're saying your little tryst with that girl was some kind of experiment. You sicken me."_

" _Then why did you marry me?" he asked._

" _You were different back then," she replied._

" _Raven, we can fix this," he insisted. "Please, Raven. Sleep with me."_

" _By Azar, I'll do no such thing, I'm leaving! If you want to come crawling back to me I'll be in Azarath with my mother," she stormed off._

" _Fine," he snarled. "You've made your choice, now I'll make mine. I don't even want you."_

Garfield frowned, absolutely puzzled. Raven's behavior had been very different than she usually was. She'd been so unnerved around him and it made him wonder what happened between her and Malchior. The man didn't even act like was married when he was alive. Then again, he didn't usually spend his time naked around a pretty girl. The more he thought about it, the more awkward he felt it actually was.

He made sure he was properly dressed and went out to where Raven was waiting. He might as well get his lessons over with.

_Raven quickly set up the candles in the proper formation and completed the circle. She was furious with Malchior. She hoped her mother Arella would be able to help her. Some time away from him would do her good._

" _Azarath Metrion Zinthos...Carazon Rakashas Endere...Vaserix Endrien Azarath...Azarath, Azarath!"_

_Raven vanished from the castle. She wouldn't be seen for six months._

_It had been three months since Raven had left and Malchior had declared a grand feast. He had grown bored of his mistresses and used it as an excuse to find more maidens to bed. He invited his best knights; many of them had beautiful spouses. His for the taking._

" _Terra, you look stunning," Gar breathed at the sight of his wife in a gown that had cost him way too much money but it had been worth it._

" _Why thank you," she said, flattered as always._

" _You look even_ more _stunning without it," he said slyly, raising an eyebrow._

" _Is making love to me all you think about? I swear I practically_ live _in my bed."_

" _No, I think about other things, like having a family, two children. But we need to have them first right?" he laughed. He kissed her soundly._

" _They're waiting for us," Gar said. She nodded and followed him out._

_They arrived at Malchior's castle and Gar looked at his wife._

" _Be careful," he warned her. "Don't ever be alone with His Majesty."_

" _Why is that?" Terra asked._

" _You've certainly heard of his reputation. I told you about what happened to Rorek."_

" _That he suddenly and conveniently died in battle and that the widow ended up in his bed. I know. Thanks for the reminder." Terra squeezed his hand. "Nothing bad is going to happen to you."_

_They headed inside. Malchior was watching them from a balcony._

" _Baran, who is that woman?" Malchior asked, the lust burning in his eyes. Raven had been gone for months, but he no longer cared._

_Baran was a hulking man who had latched himself onto Malchior, winning his favor by bringing him new wenches for him to seduce. He was rather ugly and he had the nickname "Mammoth"._

" _But what about Raven?" Baran asked._

" _She is visiting her mother far away in Azarath, she won't ever know."_

" _It's not like she_ doesn't _know about what you do," Baran said. "Aren't you going to try again?"_

" _I'm not even interested in her anymore," Malchior said. "So who is she?"_

" _That's Terra; she's married to Lord Garfield."_

" _I see, as for Raven, we, well I tried with her another time, it was after an argument we had, she didn't want to, not like she_ could _anyway. Just see to it that you get Terra separated from her husband. Can you do that?"_

" _Yes, I can," he replied. It was what he did best._

_She was completely frustrated and confused. She had gotten lost just trying to find her way back to the dining hall. She had needed some fresh air after a little too much wine and had cleared her head._

_She had tried to go back but found that either doors were mysteriously locked or that hallways led to nowhere._

" _Are you lost, my lady?" a voice asked. Terra froze, trying to hide her horror. It was Malchior._

" _It…it appears so, yes," she managed. She knew all the stories but for him to come after_ her _. She was unsure of what she was supposed to do._

 _If all else failed she was going to use her powers. She was_ not _going to bed with him. She was quite happy with her life as it was. And knowing he would send her away as soon as he grew tired of her didn't help either. She wasn't full of delusions of grandeur._

" _I can help you get back," he said very accommodatingly. She was chilled through and through. She needed to get away from him._

 _He began leading her, but she knew right where they were_ really _going. His bedchamber, she was trying to think of an excuse to get away._

" _Here we are," he said, stopping at the door._

" _What do you really want, Lord Malchior?" she asked._

" _You, I want you, I can't take my eyes off you," Malchior replied, moving closer to her._

' _My husband says that too, and I'm_ quite _happy with him," she was secretly concentrating, preparing to use her powers. She shut her eyes. Malchior moved closer to her and gripped her shoulders._

" _I could make you happy, he won't ever know," Malchior smirked. She was his, they always bought his lies. It was too easy._

" _You lay a hand on me and I'll proclaim your sick, twisted villainy to the entire kingdom!" She snarled. "Release me!"_

" _You won't leave, unless you leave in my arms."_

" _Never!" she said, her voice filled with utter contempt._

" _You little slutte, how dare you defy me!" he growled._

_Suddenly the earth itself shifted upward, forming a spike that slammed right into his groin. He groaned in agony._

" _You deserved that! It's about time someone dealt a blow to your ego!" She said she ran out of there, she summoned her powers to but barriers between them. She kept moving._

_He began stumbling after her but realized this was not a good situation. Better to let her go. Even if she did tell her husband, there was no way he could prove it. It would be her word against his._

_She finally spotted other guests and felt relief was over her. Terra moved through the hallway, back to the dining hall, barely restraining herself from running by guests. She didn't want them to think anything was wrong. Malchior knew he couldn't get to her, if he tried to stop her, the other guests might notice and realize that he was with someone else's wife. Not only would the church come down on him but if word got out that he was going after the wife of one of his best knights, it might cause them to revolt._

_Kori, Richard, Victor, and Garfield were all laughing and talking when they saw her enter. Garfield saw the terror in her eyes and moved quickly to her side._

" _Terra, what's wrong?" he asked._

_Terra pulled him into a searing kiss that startled everyone in the room. Gar went along with it; he knew something was very, very wrong._

" _Malchior tried to seduce me!" She managed to breathe into his ear. Garfield stiffened, but tried to retain his composure. Kori, who could read lips, barely hid her shock and told Victor and Richard, who moved protectively around her._

" _With me here!" Gar seethed. He gripped his wife against him. "I'm going to settle this right here, right now!_ _ *****_ _"_

" _Let's just leave, Gar, I just want to get out of here!" Terra told him._

" _All right, we'll go, but this isn't over!" he then raised his voice loud enough so that he could be heard. "I have to leave, we're all tired and it's time we return home."_

" _Please tell his Majesty that we are sorry he's not here to see us off," Gar said, looking around. Where had that lech gone off to? He wanted to strangle him._

_They headed outside and made their way toward the front gate._

_Malchior stood on top of the castle roof with Baran at his side._

" _Your Majesty, this isn't wise," Baran warned._

" _I want you to you kill him. Right here, right now," Malchior said. "It will be a horrific tragedy and I will be there to comfort his grieving widow, in more ways than one," he smirked._

" _I think I can hit him from here," Baran looked down at Gar, who wasn't wearing a helmet. He was behind Terra and they were walking away. Baran strung the arrow and fired. Suddenly, Terra stopped behind Gar._

" _Gar, there's something I want to tell—" she began. Terra felt the air being pushed out of her lungs and felt searing pain in her back. There was something dripping, and she realized it was her own blood._

_She stumbled, nearly knocked off her feet, she toppled forward, Gar caught her._

" _Kori! Kori! Help her!" the fear in his voice. He could see the arrow protruding out of her back. Where had it come from? He looked up and saw a man standing on the roof a horrified expression on his face. Baran. He should have known. Malchior was behind this. He had Terra shot because she wouldn't sleep with him. He was going to regret this. Gar would make sure of it._

" _Don't die Terra," he pleaded. "Please don't die!"_

" _Kori, can you get the arrow out!" Richard asked his wife._

" _I could but she has lost too much blood," Kori said. She had taken off her cloak to staunch the bleeding but there was nothing any of them could do. "I do not have the proper equipment to save her."_

" _Terra, you're going to be fine," Richard said._

" _We're going to get you help," Victor said, the tears streaming down his face. They had all been very close, and it felt as if his heart were being torn out of his chest._

" _Don't lie to me, Victor. I…I'm going to die here," Terra breathed raggedly. "Don't miss me too much. It'd make me…very sad…"_

" _Terra, you can't die! I_ won't _let you die!" Garfield screamed as he took her in his arms. Her bright eyes were dimming. He_ willed _her to hang on; he wasn't going to lose her like this!_

" _Garfield…my darling Gar, don't look so sad. My life…has been wonderful. I…I love you…so…so much. Don't…don't ever forget that._ _I love you, Garfield. Always…"_

_The light left her eyes and she sagged in her arms._

"NO!" _he screamed._

" _What happened?" Malchior asked, he had managed to make his way down the stairs and outside, expecting to see Terra holding a dying Garfield in her arms, not him alive and well with his dead wife in his arms! He tried to hide his anger at Baran's incompetence, but Richard, Kori, Victor, and especially Garfield saw right through his charade._

" _Is…she all right?" he asked, genuinely stunned._

" _She's dead, Your Majesty," Garfield spat out with disdain._

" _I will find the person responsible for this, I swear it!" he promised, it was a blatant lie._

" _You go do that, Sire," Gar said. Malchior turned and walked away._

_As soon as the gates shut behind him, Garfield turned to his friends._

" _I'm going to make him pay! I swear on Terra's life I'm going to make him pay! I won't stop until he and Baran are dead and their heads are on pikes!"_

* * *

"Raven?" he asked. "Are you all right?"

"I just…have a headache that's all."

"You've been having them a lot," Garfield told her. "Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine," she reassured him.

She taught him everything she could. They studied for hours. Garfield had never seen her like this before. Something was definitely wrong.

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Gar asked.

"It doesn't matter, Master," Raven replied.

"Don't you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No."

"All right. Keep your secrets. But it's not good for you."

Raven sighed, she couldn't ever tell him. It'd be too much. They all had their secrets…

" _All my searching is finally at an end!" Malchior exclaimed. "I will finally be able to create it. Using this entire Kingdom of Kravia, I will harness the power of the most feared magical artifact known to this world, and with it, I will put an end to Lord Garfield's insignificant insurrection!"_

" _Malchior, please don't do this!" Raven pleaded. "You'll destroy hundreds of thousands of lives, just to create something that may or may not help you destroy Lord Garfield!"_

" _He utterly humiliated me, and I'm going to make him pay! And what do you mean, lives? As if these people truly have lives," Malchior scoffed. "I will finish what I started—!" Malchior raised his hands to cast the spell._

" _Malchior STOP!" Raven screamed._

"— _I WILL create the Philosopher's Stone!" he concluded. "_ _Hezberek Et Morine_ _…_ _Gost Wenthen Verbis Nex… Ind Obr_ _ium Bis Pendrule…_ _Paran Sic Cortis Rex!_ _"_

_There was a flash of bright red light and Raven felt the earth shaking. She hit her knees and Malchior came over to her._

" _Don't worry my sweet Raven," Malchior said in a soothing voice that froze her entire being to the core. "We will be safe since we stand in the center of the circle."_

_Raven's mind reeled in agony, she could hear all the citizens screaming in agony through her empathic powers and it didn't stop for several minutes. She wandered outside, calling for anyone who was there. It was dead silent._

" _Where is everyone?" she called. "Willard? Mitchild? Reinmer? Toni? Mayo!" These were names of people she'd known, even for the short time she'd been there._

_Raven didn't hear any voices; all she saw were dead bodies._

" _Hello Raven," Malchior's voice called out to her. "See what I've created."_

" _What happened to all the people? Why did they die?" she demanded._

" _Don't you know? The ingredients for the Philosopher's Stone? Live humans and in mass numbers!" Malchior proclaimed, showing it to her. "It's why I started all the wars, it just made it even better when Lord Garfield started his little insurrection. I've known about this for some time. It just took him to help me finish it."_

" _What!" Raven sputtered. "You_ couldn't _have planned that."_

" _No, but I was running out of excuses to go to war, he just gave me another one."_

_Raven grasped her head and sank to her knees._

" _I can hear them, they're all screaming at me! Please take that thing and go!" Malchior left._

" _I've been waiting a long time for this. I'm going to use this Stone to destroy Lord Garfield and anyone else who gets in my way."_

_Victor had received the most horrifying news he had ever heard in his short life. The Kingdom of Kravia had been destroyed. It had been a neutral country in the war and had virtually been ignored by both sides as it had no real strategic value. Upon receiving the message, he rode straight to their camp._

" _Lord Garfield," Victor shouted. "I have received horrible news! All the citizens of the kingdom of Kravia have vanished, disappeared overnight, we can't even find the cities anymore!"_

" _Didn't Malchior just conquer that place?" Garfield asked. It sickened him that Malchior had declared war on the neutral country. Places didn't just disappear overnight._

" _It's impossible!" Gar said. "Are you sure?"_

" _Yes," Victor told him._

" _Whatever he did it was pretty bad; we have to prepare for the worst."_

_They started getting ready. This was probably going to be their last battle, but if they were going to die, they would go out in a blaze of glory._

She had finished his lessons. "I need to be alone."

"I understand. He had duties to attend to. She left to go to meditate.

Garfield made his way to the apothecary; Kori had told him there was something that she wanted to tell him.

"Hello Kori," he greeted her with a smile. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Greetings, Garfield," she smiled. As the youngest Princess of the Kingdom of Tamaran, she always spoke formally, even though she no longer lived there. She had grown to love the adventurous life they lived and did not wish to return home.

"Do you remember the night Terra died?" Kori asked.

"Yes, I'll never forget it," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"There was something she wanted to tell you, but she wasn't able to," Kori said. "Do you have any knowledge of what it was?"

"No," he replied. He had a bad feeling about where this was going.

"Garfield, she was pregnant, she wanted to tell you."

"What?" Gar stared. It didn't shock him that it had happened, they had always been passionate in their relationship, but for her to be pregnant and he _not_ notice is what tore him apart.

"I am sorry I did not tell you sooner, it would have been too much for you," Kori put her hand on his shoulder.

"Did Victor and Richard know?"

"No they did not, just me," Kori looked very sorrowful. "I apologize."

"Don't you're right, I wouldn't have been able to handle it back then, thank you Kori. Don't feel bad about it." He turned and left.

Garfield numbly made his way back to the training grounds. He found a sword and chopped a stuffed target to shreds.

" _You bastard!"_ he screamed. "I hate you! I want to find a way to resurrect you, just so I can kill you again!" He hacked another target until it was noting more than a few shredded remnants.

He was too exhausted to move, he couldn't take it anymore. He broke down and wept.

Raven sat by the pond, meditating quietly, her voice the only thing that could be heard.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" she chanted.

Her skull about split with a terrible headache.

"Please, please just stop! She pleaded to the air. They were all screaming at her.

She opened her eyes and removed the chakra that was on her forehead. She held it in her hand.

"It's not my fault you all…died…" she whispered. "I couldn't stop him. I'm so sorry."

But that did her little good. It was hard to apologize to 536,329 human souls and feel better about it.

Was it so hard to believe that her chakra was actually Malchior's Philosopher's Stone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> If I made you cry then I did a good job.
> 
> I know, I know, the Philosopher's Stone is popping up everywhere, but I LOVE, LOVE Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood along with the original manga is ending in two months, which is probably when I'll get this fic done. But in the Slayers universe they have the Philosopher's Stone and it amplifies magic, so that's where I stole the idea from, but I like the idea from Fullmetal Alchemist that the Philosopher's Stone is made from human souls. So I fused both ideas.
> 
> *Some creepy dude kept trying to flirt with my sister-in-law. Not a good idea, my brother's in the army, HE HAS GUNS AND KNOWS HOW TO USE THEM, he can also beat the crap out of you. Heck, my sister-in-law knows how to shoot them too! She told him and he was MAD. He found this guy and threatened to beat said crap out of him, add a few angry F-bombs and that guy's is staying for, FAR away from my sister-in-law. His army friends wanted to help too, but he wanted to do it himself.
> 
> *There's a funny story about how one of Vic Mignogna's, the voice actor for Edward Elric fans wanted to ask him if it hurt when he fell out of Heaven.


	7. Chapter Six: Losing what was Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven is unintentionally involved in a conspiracy. Will she make the right choice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: My day has been made. Todd Haberkorn will be playing Ling in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood! I always imagined his voice when I watched the Japanese version. Now my wish comes true! And Aaron Dismuke, who played sweet and adorable Alphonse Elric, is playing Young Hoehenheim! My day can't get any better, except for one thing:
> 
> I-NO-SPEAK-YOUR-LANGUAGE DANCE!
> 
> Thanks for all the nice reviews and some criticisms; although I think my shoutouts to Fullmetal Alchemist are NOT lame. And the story's not even the same so it's not lame.
> 
> Also, writing this kind of fic is HARD. I have had to do a bunch of research so if you think you can just write about shiny knights in armor and call it a medieval fic; it's a lot harder than it looks. I've had to look up things on marriage, sex, clothing, diet, medical practice and Catholicism. It's not easy, but it's worth it. Enjoy.

* * *

Raven had been in the castle for an entire year and noticed that the citizen's elation at having a new king had worn off somewhat.

Raven found a strange note in her bedchamber, it said:

_Come down to the tunnel underneath the west entrance tonight. We have business to discuss. Dr. Arthur._

Raven remembered Dr. Arthur. He was a rival healer and disliked Kori's methods. He relied on superstition and was sometimes called Dr. Light because he believed his cures came from the divine light of God. Raven just thought he was delusional.

Raven had received further instructions about where the secret tunnel was. She made her way down and saw a group of twenty knights. Among them was Dr. Arthur and Adonis. Raven visibly stiffened at the sight of him.

"There's no need to worry Raven," Arthur said. "We are not here to do you any harm. We wish to discuss something important with you."

This country has gone through a lot hardship over these last few years. Both citizens and soldiers alike have died because of Lord Garfield's war and now we suspect he's going to enact cruel taxes on us in order to pay for all our losses in the war. Thousands of good men died and there's no one to take care of them or their families."

"Why should I give a krape about all of _you_ when _I'm_ the one who has gone through so much pain?" Raven demanded.

"Life is pain, Raven!" Adonis' tone was curt. "Anyone telling you otherwise is selling something."

"This coming from the man who enjoyed torturing me," Raven snapped.

"Calm down you two," Arthur warned. "If you will lead us, you can fix this country."

Raven contemplated Arthur's proposal. Taking down Lord Garfield would not be easy. But wasn't that what she wanted? Revenge for everything she lost? She was unsure, but then she realized how meaningless it all was. Everyone was trying to rule the country. They were all tempted by the power Garfield held. They all thought they could do better than he did. Catering to the citizens with a normal tax rate and giving them plenty of feasts and jousts and diversions had made him very well liked by the citizens, but not the nobles who had been accustomed to being exuberantly wealthy with cruel taxes on the serfs and peasants.

All the country's wealth now came from exports, which the nobles weren't use to receiving income through things that their servants made and they disliked it that he had made it mandatory for all the nobles to earn their money this way.

Raven sighed. It was all flattery and empty promises. They just wanted her to be their figurehead. No doubt when this was over she would be mistreated again. Unfortunately, she was used to empty promises.

_She had returned, after six months. She'd been angry for so long, finally her wrath had abated. He promised her that if she calmed down, he'd be able to explain things._

_Malchior had been confident. He knew exactly what to say, that he was sorry about what had happened between them. That he wanted to have children with her. His honeyed tongue worked its magic and Raven was actually hopeful that he was sincere._

" _What about all those other women?" she demanded._

" _They were slaves, it's not adultery if they're slaves_ _ *****_ _," he said. This was of course, a lie and everyone, including Raven knew it, still, she wanted to believe that even he could change._

" _Just because they don't say it is wrong doesn't mean it's not," Raven retorted._

" _Raven, I am not that man anymore, I want you. I've always wanted you. Please come home."_

_After a long time thinking about it, she decided to return home._

_Raven was sitting on her bed and looked up from her reading as Malchior entered the room, he moved close to her; she set down the Galleon Scrolls and asked, "Malchior? What are you doing—?"_

_Malchior pressed his mouth to hers roughly, his weight felt heavy against her. His hands callously ran across her skin and he began groping her; her body began reciprocating, and she began breathing heavily._

_Raven's mind was spinning and she could barely think._

" _Malchior, please!" she whispered in his ear._

" _Not yet, sweet Raven," he replied. His smile was veiled cruelty; his eyes barley concealed his malice. He_ enjoyed _toying with her. To see her so needy and vulnerable, hearing her beg brought him more pleasure than even the act of sex with her, which he actually dreaded. She wouldn't bring him any joy; he had no real desire or love for her whatsoever._

" _When I return victorious, when all this is over...then I'll make love to you," he reassured her. "There's no time now. I have to rest. I have to set out to stop Lord Garfield tomorrow."_

" _Malchior, promise me," Raven said, dejected that he wouldn't actually consummate their marriage, again._

" _I promise," he told her. He let her go, disrobed until he was nude and decided to climb in bed beside her; he needed to rest after all. Raven couldn't look at him, it was too much to think of how he was torturing her.  
_

" _And Raven," he looked her straight in the eye._

" _Yes?" she asked him quizzically._

" _I love you," he rolled over and fell asleep. That was the last thing he ever said to her._

 _Several weeks later, Malchior stared at his reflection and sighed. He hoped this conflict with Lord Garfield would end quickly so he could return home. He realized that he would lose Raven if he didn't_ try _to change. His dilemma, he liked his lifestyle the way it was, and he found it hard to believe that someone could be faithful and satisfied with one person. But still, he had to try._

" _Why does he have to seem so perfect?" Malchior asked himself. "It's as if he can't do anything wrong. It makes me sick."_

 _He sighed. His thoughts turned back to Raven. For so long, he'd chased other women. He had tried to convince himself that he didn't need her. But this whole ordeal with Garfield had shown him that_ maybe _; just maybe he could have a happy life with her. Hadn't Garfield and Terra been happily married? At least, that's what he remembered her saying._

_At first, he'd been confident of victory because of the Philosopher's Stone, but someone had stolen it from him. He had never been able to recover it. Not only was it an enormous blow to his ego but it made him realize that he'd actually have to rely on himself this time and he'd have to face what he created._

_Still, he was confident he was going to win. He wanted everything, Raven, his kingdom. He wasn't going to let some vengeance bent peasant take all of it from him. After Garfield was dead, he'd try to make everything work out. He stared at his reflection for a moment. He had always prided himself on keeping his emotions out of things, but maybe he_ did _have some real feelings for Raven after all…he scoffed at this after a moment. He was only stringing her along. He only wanted her power, and when he figured out how to get it, he'd get rid of her. He just had to get through Lord Garfield first…_

* * *

Raven stared at the twenty men in front of her. They all looked to her expectantly.

"I can't. I won't do this," she replied. "There's been enough bloodshed already. As much as I hate him, I won't start another war."

"Are you sure you've made up your mind?" Arthur asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, I'm sure, who would want to follow me anyway? They all hate me," Raven stated.

"That's very true," Adonis said darkly. "It's a pity you're refusing because now we'll have to kill you. We can't have you telling him, after all."

Raven moved away from them. She knew she didn't have a choice, she had to use her powers.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she chanted, summoning them. She tossed knights against the wall and sent others flying. She tried to grab a loose sword from a guard but Adonis kicked her in the stomach. They began ruthlessly kicking her until her face bled.

Suddenly, they stopped and looked around. They looked around and saw the secret door open. In stepped Garfield, looking eerily calm and standing at ease.

"What's going on here?" he asked. "And why is Raven's face bloody?"

"Well, Your Majesty, you've been working so hard lately, we thought you should take a permanent break from your duties."

"Ah, but therein lies the problem," Gar said, still acting casual. "I rather _like_ my job."

"Well "Your Majesty", why don't you just retire!" the man said as he brandished a sword. He unexpectedly felt pain in his left hand, only to look up and realize it was gone!

Gar swung his sword quickly, taking off the knight's hand, blood spurted everywhere. He quickly kicked him across the chest and sent him flying into a wall. Raven stared in awe; she hadn't even seen him unsheathe his sword!

Another knight rushed at him, Garfield stepped aside and struck him across the back.

"Don't worry, I struck you with the back side," Gar then examined the blade. "Oh sorry, this is a double-edged sword." His mistake.

Gar turned his attention to Raven, who had received a vicious punch to the stomach and and face and was trying to catch her breath.

"I'm going to protect you," he promised. "I won't let them kill you." Gar brandished his sword.

"Now, come at me, you cowards!" he challenged.

He kept his hands on the sword hilt, thrusting and cutting at anyone who came near him. He jabbed his blade between chinks in the armor and wounded several of them.

"How can you possibly hurt us!" Arthur demanded.

"I _built_ the armor you're wearing!" Garfield growled. "I know where _all_ the weaknesses are!"

The men were all mortified, when their Lord had said he was having custom armor made for them, they didn't actually think _he_ would do it himself.

"Do you want to know why?" Gar asked. "Well I'll explain it to you, and I'll use small words so you can understand you pig-faced buffoons."

"When Richard, Victor and I all snuck into Malchior's castle, we all knocked out some guards on the outside and took their armor. We also wore their helmets, which is why you're all required to take them off before you come in and as for why the armor is custom, none of you can pull off any coups or assassination plots. The best part is, everyone knows about these so-called "Secret tunnels". So as you can see, there a _re_ no secrets."

They were all stunned. Their moron of a king had outmaneuvered them.

'What can I say? I obfuscate stupidity, it works every time!" he attacked them.

He slashed downward and blocked a hard strike toward his abdomen. He skittered out of the way of a blow aimed at his chest. He grasped a shield and used it to block blows, only to find that his sword arm was tiring.

The knights rallied, noticing he was tired; the sword was soon knocked away from his hand.

"We've disarmed him!" they said, confident of triumph.

Garfield suddenly swung around and hurled the shield like a discus, hitting a knight in the head. He sprang forward and pulled one of the knight's sword from its scabbard. He thrust the blade through the man's neck; he fell to the ground, dead.

Arthur was furious. "Kill them! Kill them both!"

Gar moved between Raven and the other men, there were at least ten of them. He suddenly handed her the broadsword.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just watch, and if they get past me, defend yourself," he ordered.

Garfield unsheathed two short swords and held them in each hand. She saw him move, but it was so fast it wasn't like he had even been where he had just been standing.

One of the knight's fell dead, with his body separated at the hips, between where the breastplate and the leg armor began. Another attacker swung his sword and Gar simply turned and calmly sliced his head open at the eyes. He dropped dead instantly.

"How did I _survive_ a fight with him?" she asked herself. "He's completely merciless and ruthless."

Then she remembered something she had observed before they fought. Gar had been exhausted. Raven couldn't believe how _strong_ he was, she didn't even want to think about what happened if he turned his brute strength on _her_.

"I'll cut your soul from its moorings!" Gar said darkly.

"Come and try then!" Arthur challenged.

"Do you know how I distinguished myself on the battlefield time after time?" Gar asked Arthur. "I may be strong but I tend to wear out and use up a lot of energy quickly. I may not be very smart but I do watch people. I notice how they move, how they react to what I do, and I always notice when they get cocky!"

Gar was constantly on his feet, swinging and slashing; he chased Arthur around the small room.

Arthur swung high when Gar ducked and thrust his swords behind him and into his enemy's midsection. Arthur dropped dead.

"Now you just stay down there," he said.

Adonis charged at him and in one swift motion, Gar cut off both his arms, at the elbows. He fell screaming. Gar quickly slashed him across the back and turned his attention to Raven.

He finished off the guard he had hit in the head and looked over at her. She returned his gaze, unnerved by his display of combat prowess.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

"Let's get you to Kori," he said. "She'll apply ointment to your face."

"Are you hurt Master?" she asked.

"No, why did you side with me?" he asked, curious.

"Because I want all of this to end, I don't want another war."

"Neither do I," he said sincerely.

Raven felt confused. Was he the monster she'd imagined him to be or was he deceiving her like he had deceived all the knights who had conspired against him. She wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

But then she remembered why she hated him, and she didn't know what she was supposed to feel or think when it came to the man who was her Master, Lord Garfield…

* * *

_Raven stared at the messenger. "Malchior…is dead?"_

_"Yes, my Lady, he told me that you would avenge him and defend this castle."_

_"When will he arrive?" she asked._

_"Tomorrow," he replied._

_Raven felt stunned. How could this happen? Right when they were going to try to make their marriage work. Sure, it had been very hard on her and the fact that Malchior had never tried to be faithful to her and it broke her heart. But he'd promised that once this was over, he'd try to be a better person. That he would actually love her and care about her. That's what she had wanted from him for so long, and now, when he had finally decided to change his ways, he had been murdered._

_Lord Garfield. She wondered why he had started this war. In a strange way, it had brought Malchior back to her but then it had instantly torn him away from her forever._

_It wasn't fair. What were his motivations for doing this? She'd never been able to learn what they were from Malchior. He had never spoken to her about why this had happened._

_He had to be a power-hungry soldier, bent on conquest. Just one of Malchior's many followers who had grown envious of the power that he had. It was probably someone who was politically ambitious, that was the only reason. Garfield was just a monster, barely concealed under a knight's shining armor._

_She was going to face this monster, and kill him._

Adonis stumbled into a ruined house in the village of Nol. It had been Raven's house until she had married Malchior. He had barely survived the failed coup. Lord Garfield had killed all but him, although he had been severely wounded, he was too occupied by the safety of the witch Raven to notice that he was still alive.

He had escaped and traveled for days until he had arrived in Nol. Someone had found him and bandaged the stumps of his arms and he had been taken to the outskirts of Nol. He had found the old house and tried to recover there.

"Curse him!" he raged at the clouds. "Curse both of them. I had hoped Lord Gar would promote me to a position of power, but he had to fall under that witch's spell and spare her accursed life. I'm going to make them both suffer, and make them wish they had never crossed me!"

" _I can help you do that,"_ a voice whispered in his head. He couldn't believe it, how was _he_ still alive?

"You piece of scum! Why should I listen to you, Malchior?" Adonis demanded to the air.

" _I can give you power, I always knew that someone might try to kill me, and so I transplanted my soul into one of sweet Raven's magic books. She doesn't know of course."_

"If I help you, you'll grant me your power?" Adonis asked.

" _Perhaps, if you can find me a suitable vessel and help me escape this book."_

"Don't you know how to release yourself?" Adonis asked.

" _I do not have the power yet," Malchior replied. "Lord Garfield, cut off your arms didn't he?"_

"Yes!" Adonis hissed.

" _I will send my trusted ally Mikron to you; he will help you with what you will need to successfully resurrect me."_

"How long will this take?" Adonis demanded.

" _One year," Malchior replied. "I promise you, if you make a deal with me, I will give you what you deserve."_

"What is this deal?" Adonis demanded. He didn't want to be tricked into doing something that would get him killed.

" _Attach my arms to your body, and you'll get a great reward," Malchior said. "I will teach you all my magic and then I will return more powerful than ever."_

"Maybe I should have sided with you in the war," Adonis said. He would do it; he didn't care what it took. He was going to make Lord Garfield, and especially Raven pay for what they did to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> * They really did believe that if you had sex with a slave it was okay and not adultery because they were technically property and not people.
> 
> I've really lost my mind. Now I'm throwing Slayers references in here too, and more Princess Bride to boot!
> 
> I hated, absolutely hated writing that scene with Raven and Maldouche it doesn't help I already think he's a perv 'cause he used the sexual predator technique in the actual show to get her to release him, but he's just downright creepy.
> 
> I've also got a real sword. It was a going away present from my best friend. I didn't really think about using it for this fic until I remembered that I need to be realistic about fighting. Thanks Jenna.
> 
> Special thanks to DarkRapture for conspiracy theory ideas. Couldn't pull this off without you!


	8. Chapter Seven: A World So Hollow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven discovers more about Garfield, but will it bring them together or tear them apart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood made me cry Thursday. It was awesome yet sad. And the Deviation is tonight, manga storyline time! This chapter was a pain in the butt to write, because it's heavy flashback time.

 

* * *

" _This is your brilliant strategy?" Richard asked. "You want to sacrifice 6,000 of our troops for this "plan" and we're going to lose on_ purpose _?_ "

"" _I don't care what it takes, I'm going to win, but I'm going to humiliate him, utterly embarrass him, so badly he'll never be able to publicly admit it was me."_

" _I don't get how getting 6,000 of our troops killed is going to help us win," Richard said._

" _I don't approve, we didn't ask these people to join us just so they could die," Victor agreed._

" _All's fair in war," Gar said, narrowing his eyes. "He's going to pay by my rules."_

_He began his lengthy explanation. "Malchior has always been overconfident. We've all seen it when we campaigned with him. If we let him think that our main motivation is to overthrow him through brute force, he'll send a large army out after us. We'll lose, several battles, I'm afraid, and while that's going on. I will go to the castle, and offer to help him track down Absalom. I'll gain his trust and then I'll reveal how I orchestrated the entire thing._

" _And why am I going to be a major part of your scheme?" Richard asked._

" _I need you, you're well educated and you can teach me all I need to know about being a member of the nobility. I need to look and act like you to pull it off."_

" _Acting like me, you could pull off, but looking like me is another story, you're shorter than I am," Richard noted._

" _Victor's smart, he can invent something to make me taller," Gar insisted._

" _What about your hair?" Richard asked._

" _Kori will figure out something," Gar said, it made perfect sense._

" _I feel like we're doing all the work," Richard sighed._

" _We won't let you sacrifice our troops on purpose," Victor said. "You use this tactic and_ we'll _revolt._

" _Fine, I'll try to keep the losses to a minimal and feign retreats."_

" _For all our losses in this scheme, you have to provide for all the families," Richard warned him sternly._

" _I understand," he said. "Their sacrifice won't be in vain. I'll make sure all the families will have food and water. I'm not going to treat my people like animals."_

" _I still don't understand your ultimate goal here," Victor said._

" _I want to utterly and completely humiliate him. He thinks_ he _can control everything. I want to show him that he is completely incompetent and that he is no longer fit to lead this country. Perhaps I'll reveal myself when he's a sleep in bed; it's where he's most vulnerable. He thinks no one can touch him."_

" _Then what will you do?" Victor asked._

" _I'm going to kill him," Gar replied._

" _In his bed? That's pretty low," Richard commented._

" _Oh no, I'm not going to kill him there, he'll have to fight me like a real man first. On a battlefield like all his pawns."_

" _We will help you, but should you slip up even once, we'll cut you down!" Richard warned._

" _I can only expect that from my closest friends, you may stab me in the back should I ever become what_ he _is." Garfield watched Victor leave the room._

" _Life's not really fair is it?" Garfield asked as he sighed and sat down. "I feel like I'm in a twisted romance and revenge story."_

" _If you were, you'd probably end up falling for the wife of the guy you killed," Richard quipped. Garfield choked and started coughing._

" _Who would write something like that?" he asked._

" _A hopeless romantic with a knack for liking this sort of thing," Richard laughed._

" _If that's true then I want out of it," Gar ran his fingers through his hair. "Like Malchior's the type to even_ have _a wife."_

" _We should get started on your lessons," Richard told him. "You have to act like a very noble knight after all."_

" _I thought I_ was," _Gar said._

" _I know, but you have to act like you don't give a krape about people," Richard said, "But you also have to act like you come from a noble family. There's also one more thing you'll have to do, and you're not going to like it._

" _What's that?" Gar asked._

" _Eat meat," Richard replied._

" _I_ don't _eat meat!" Gar protested._

" _You have to, if they notice you don't eat meat they'll get suspicious. You'll just have to put up with it."_

" _All right," Gar nodded. Richard began to teach him everything he knew._

* * *

Lord Garfield sighed as he stared at his reflection in the clear glass mirror. Victor had brought it from his native Moorish country and had given it to him as a present.

"What am I going to do?" he asked himself. His feelings were jumbled and he was confused. Logically, falling in love with Raven was definitely not a good idea. Maybe if they had known each other before, and something had happened where, he had been thrown in prison and she had ended up married Malchior, but still had feelings for him, but his situation was like that at all. He had murdered her husband out of revenge and that wasn't a good relationship starter.

Richard walked in.

"You're thinking about Raven again," he stated, he didn't ask because he knew the answer.

"I can't stop thinking about her, I fell in love with her a long time ago," Garfield said. "God must be punishing me."

"I don't know about that, but this isn't a good move politically, you know," Richard observed.

"I don't care about politics, I care about her," Gar said.

"You should care about politics, you are king after all," Richard reprimanded.

"I know, you don't have to tell me that, it's just, this doesn't seem right. I murdered her husband. I wanted revenge, and to say I love her is an insult to Terra."

"What Terra would think of her is irrelevant since she's dead, but still, I am wary of you getting in a relationship with her. For your sake."

"But you're friends with her too," Garfield pointed out.

"Yes, but I'm not the king, and I have no romantic feelings for her," Richard added.

"You have a point there," Garfield agreed.

"And what about her emotions? She doesn't know about Terra yet. You have to tell her, she thinks you're in this for the power, the wealth, the glory and the women. If you start to pursue her, this isn't courtly love, where she's still married but you've fallen for her ***** , she'll think you did this just to get her."

"I'm not that petty, I really do love her," Gar said. "I would _never_ have done that even if I had fallen for her while Malchior was alive. That was probably his excuse for what _he_ did."

"She probably won't see it that way." Richard folded his arms. "Raven will think that you just can't keep your pants on."

"You have my permission to castrate me should that ever happen."

"Good, at least I know you won't act lascivious around her," Richard said.

"Well maybe," Gar said slyly. Richard gave him an ugly look.

"I'm jesting," he said.

"That's not amusing," Richard reprimanded. "Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes," he replied.

"What did Victor say?" Richard asked.

"I told him that I didn't care," Victor's voice called. "Raven's a good woman. I see her as family already."

"I figured. You are very accepting of other people," Richard smiled. "Me, I accept her too, she's not evil despite whatever they say, but politics, they get in the way of everything."

"That's true, but shouldn't I tell her how I feel?" he asked.

"She may not be ready for it, she's been your servant for a year but she still doesn't trust you," Victor said. "Your relationship with her is very complicated."

"I'll tell her when the time is right, I'm sure," Gar sighed. "Thanks for all the advice."

He turned and left. Richard and Victor looked at each other.

"Let's just hope this ends well," Victor said.

"I agree," Richard said. They turned and left. Everything involving Garfield and Raven was very, very complicated.

* * *

" _Hello, My Liege," a voice greeted him. "I've heard you are searching for the man they call Absalom."_

" _How would you know a thing like that?" Malchior demanded._

" _I am Absalom," the voice said behind him. Malchior stiffened._

What do I do? _He thought._ I have my sword. I could gut him right here and now. But what if it's not really him? What if I kill the wrong person? What will I do if I kill him and he's a stand in for the real one?

 _Gar hid his satisfaction._ You can't touch me, you have no idea if I'm lying or not. You don't want to stain your so-called honor by murdering the wrong man, like you did to Terra.

" _If you are really him, you have a lot of nerve coming before me," Malchior said, keeping his voice civil._

" _Perhaps I said that just to test you, in truth I could be him, but you would never know for sure. Even if I'm not, I have my own interests in finding him," Gar said._

Curse him! He's trying to get me riled up. I'm not going to give him that satisfaction. I just wish I could confirm his identity and kill him.

" _If you were him, you think I'd try to get you to say something only he would know," Malchior said._

" _Of course, but if you want to find him, you'll have to think like him," Gar said._

" _Who are you really?" Malchior demanded._

" _My name is Janus," he replied._

" _Well, Janus, whether you are Absalom or not, it doesn't matter, eventually, I'll find him and kill him."_

_A few days later, a man arrived at the castle._

" _I have a message for King Malchior," he said._

" _What is it? The gatekeeper asked._

" _Tell your Master that Absalom has declared war on our so-called, self-proclaimed king. He has disobeyed the laws of the church and God and his people. He has oppressed his serfs and peasants long enough and we will not tolerate it any longer. He has stolen our wives, our land, and our livelihoods. I will cast you down and replace you as king! A king is to be for the people, and there_ is _no king without his people!"_

" _Shoot him now!" Malchior ordered, he had been standing with Janus at his side. They had watched without saying a word._

_The archers fired and Absalom used his shield to block the arrows, he retreated and mounted his horse, riding away from the gate._

" _Lord Baran, assemble your troops, wipe this pathetic bloodstain off the face of the earth!" Malchior seethed._

* * *

Raven was once again in the apothecary, Kori looked up in surprise.

"You always seem to injure yourself, do you not?" she asked in an amused voice.

"I'll try not to make a habit of it," she said in a dry voice.

"I heard Lord Garfield protected you," Kori said.

"How did you meet him?" Raven asked curious.

"One day, the Kingdom of Tamaran was attacked by the Kingdom of Gordania. They captured me and intended to make me a slave, but I escaped. I was fleeing from them when Sir Richard found me. We met Sir Victor and Sir Garfield and Terra while we were trying to escape away from Gordania's borders."

"Who is Terra?" Raven asked, she kept hearing that name, even the peasants talked about her. She seemed to be very important, and yet she had not seen anyone who was called by that name or referred to herself by that name. It was puzzling.

"Terra was Lord Garfield's wife," Kori replied.

Raven was taken aback. She'd seen no one with Garfield ever since she'd arrived. But she remembered the toast the soldiers had drank to her at the feast.

"She's dead isn't she?" Raven said. It seemed sad.

"Yes," Kori said. "It is still hard for me to speak about it. Even after seven years."

"How come Lord Garfield never speaks of her, to me or anyone else?" Raven asked. Surely he could tell her that he had been married once.

"I suppose because he does not like to think about it, and he is very busy," Kori said.

"I think it's rather strange that he won't even talk about her," Raven said.

"You do know he has feelings for you, or have you not noticed?" she asked. Everyone else could see it but either they refused to believe it or they ignored it.

"He has _feelings_ for me!" she scoffed. "They all say that, Malchior was the same way. They don't actually mean what they say and will promise a girl anything if she'll go to bed with them."

Nothing anyone said about Lord Garfield would change her mind about him. She wasn't about to believe that he'd done all these good things just to be merciful to her. There was always another motive and she wasn't about to start falling for him. Not by a long shot.

Still part of her wanted to believe that Lord Garfield was really a good man, despite what he had done to her. She'd seen how he strived to help the peasantry, how he'd lowered taxes and made their lives easier.

Part of her admired him for that. She continually fought her physical attraction to him. He was certainly a handsome fellow and completely understood how he had ended up being married. If she were anyone else, she probably would have fallen for him.

She could never imagine falling in love with him, but a civilized friendship seemed good enough for her. There was no way she was going to forgive him for murdering Malchior and she was grateful he had spared her life. She left the apothecary, trying to sort through her jumbled thoughts.

* * *

" _Victor, this is bad!" Gar exclaimed. His men were being torn apart like animals. He had trained them well, but Malchior's ruthless advisor Lord Baran had filled his men with insatiable bloodlust._

_They put up a brave fight, perhaps the finest battle they'd ever fought, but they were no match for Lord Baran's crazed men._

_They were running, running for their lives. Garfield watched as a young teen was ruthlessly decapitated._

" _Attack them and do not let them escape!" Lord Baran ordered. Lord Garfield's men were fleeing. This was no feigned route; they had lost a lot of men._

_Garfield called for a retreat, they were all bruised, battered and bloody. They managed to retreat and Lord Baran stopped pursuing them. No doubt Lord Malchior would be thrilled and call for a feast._

_It was winter, almost everyone had frostbite, Kori was managing to keep men from losing fingers and toes, but barely._

" _Garfield, this plan isn't working, they really defeated us," Victor said. "Morale is low and it's worse because the soldiers are starting to get sick."_

" _Kori's working hard, I didn't think they'd actually gain the upper hand on us," Gar sighed. "I'm_ not _going to let this happen again."_

" _Maybe we should hire some_ _Berserkers_ _," Victor suggested._

" _You mean those warriors who fight while in a trance and wear bear skirts*?" Garfield. They were legendary, for being insane on the battlefield._

_Garfield shook his head. "We just need to try harder next time. Wasn't there a story Richard told me where someone won a battle by pretending to route and luring the enemy army to their doom by surrounding them?"_

" _Yes, but I don't remember which battle that was," Victor said._

" _That's our plan, and we're going to win," Garfield nodded._

_A few days later, he debriefed his knights._

" _Your task is simple," he told his men. "Let Lord Baran think he is winning and retreat, when he has chased our men further into the valley, bring your men around and surround his army, then he won't be able to escape. I want him alive; I'm going to make an example of him."_

_The battle lasted for a week. Garfield's men were fueled by rage. They were sick of what Malchior did to this country and once they had heard their leader's personal story about what Malchior had done to his wife, they were more determined than ever to bring down the tyrannical king._

_The battle had been a success; they had feigned the route and had escaped with minimal losses, while decimating Lord Baran's army. They spread the rumor that they had lost and it quickly reached Malchior's ears that Lord Baran had been victorious._

_Garfield was in his tent when he received word that Victor had returned._

" _Lord Garfield, we captured someone of great interest to you," Victor said, helping Adonis drag him in._

" _Lord Baran," Garfield said with a small derisive laugh. "I hoped I would find you. Victor, you can go now."_

" _All right," Victor replied. Whatever Gar was going to do, he didn't want him to know about._

" _Do you follow all your King's orders?" Garfield asked._

" _Yes," Baran replied._

" _Including the order he gave you to shoot me when I left his feast six years ago?" Gar hoped he would give him the answer that he wanted to hear._

" _Yes," Baran replied. "Adonis, tie him to the rack. I'm going to punish him myself!"_

" _I'll be happy out your orders Lord Garfield," Adonis offered. This was his job after all._

" _No, this is personal," Gar said. Adonis strapped Lord Baran to the rack, on his stomach._

_Gar found a knife and looked at it. His eyes burned with insatiable rage, anger and hatred._

" _You've heard of the blood eagle_ _ *****_ _, haven't you? It's a technique used by the Vikings where a victim's back is cut open and their ribs are pulled through their back, along with their lungs being pulled over their ribcage. It's excruciatingly painful and you can die from it, but right before you do, I'm going to put salt in your wounds. I suppose it's a small comfort since you know what's coming!"_

_He stuck the knife in Baran's back and slowly began cutting. The screams of his wife's killer was worth learning about the morbid technique. He had a plan for Lord Baran and it was going to be a sweet, sweet revenge._

* * *

" _What has become of Lord Baran?" Malchior asked, concerned for his favorite advisor._

_"We do not know, but we will continue searching for him," the men said._

_It had been a week since Malchior's apparent victory and Raven was meditating in the courtyard._

" _Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," Raven chanted. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..." Raven stopped. Something landed on her face._

_She reached up and touched her cheek, wiping the sticky substance off._

_She gasped. There was blood on her fingers._

_Raven looked up and let out a horrified shriek. There was a headless body, bloody and battered beyond recognition, fastened on the ceiling, it's back to her She could see the man's ribs sticking though his spine, covered in blood._

_She ran from the room and told the servants to inform Malchior. He came running to the spot and looked up._

" _Is that…Lord Baran?" he asked Janus._

_Janus stared at him, "it seems you found him, my friend."_

_Janus gazed over at the wall. "What is this?"_

_He handed Malchior an arrow with a parchment attached._

_Malchior opened it and read it:_

Pretty little eagle covered in red  
Seems Lord Baran lost his head  
Surrender Malchior or you'll end up dead  
For trying to take my now departed wife to your bed _ *****_

_Malchior laughed and burned the note. "He still tries to taunt me despite his loss. It doesn't matter, he's just delusional, whoever he is. Have my servants prepare a feast, we're celebrating our victory in two weeks!"_

_As the servants slaved away, preparing a lavish feast for their master, Richard informed Gar that it was time for them to switch places._

_The battle had been a success, and despite their supposed route, they had successfully captured and killed Lord Baran, which satisfied Garfield more than any battlefield victory. One of Terra's murderers had been put in the ground where he belonged; the other would soon join him._

" _Where are you going Garfield?" Victor asked._

" _I have to switch places with Richard; he's been in that castle too long."_

" _Be careful," Victor warned._

" _I will," Gar replied. He mounted Cielo and rode off into the night._

_He arrived at the castle, noticed all the bright colors and banners streaming about. He hated going to these "feasts", they were borderline on being thinly veiled orgies, since Malchior couldn't restrain himself from taking off other women's chastity belts and everything else they were wearing. It was requirement that wives wear them while their husbands were away at war_ _***** _ _, but most of the time, either he took them off after he seduced them or they willingly took off their belts and their clothes for him._

_The excessive decadence made him feel inclined to vomit. Malchior was fondling and groping some excessively busty wench, he_ refused _to look over in his direction. Considering the fact that Malchior had wanted to do such things to his wife Terra, he did not want to think about what would have become f her had Malchior succeeded in murdering him._

 _And what was with all the males' obsession with women's busts? Sure you wanted your significant other to be attractive, but some of these wenches, he refused to call them maidens, they were anything_ but _chaste or pure, or words that would be used to describe moral women, had bosoms so large he thought that they shouldn't be able to be held up by their otherwise slim bodies_ _ *****_ _._

_Terra had been beautiful, not like these women. They were appealing and good looking and attractive. But Terra had radiated everything he loved. Kindness, genuine goodness and a need to help others. She was also clever and witty and enjoyed his sense of amusement that Victor and Kori and Richard didn't always seem to understand._

_She was also very good looking, but who she was made her beautiful. And he cursed Malchior for taking her away from him._

_Gar moved toward the hallway, he needed to find somewhere that was actually quiet for once. He wondered the hallways until the noise had died down a bit._

_Garfield moved forward. He thought he heard…weeping? What was going on here? He could see a figure in a corner, but the hallway was poorly lit and he was far away._

" _Excuse me? Are you all—" he began to ask, still using Richard's voice, when suddenly; Malchior gripped his shoulders and turned him around._

" _Janus, I found you!" he exclaimed. "Come, drink up! Celebrate my great victory with me!"_

_He let himself be led back into the feasting hall, he tried to look for the shadowy figure but whoever it was had left._

_Raven stumbled into a dimly lit part of the hallway, she couldn't help but cry, she'd seen Malchior with another woman again; he had promised her that he had changed. She still wanted to believe him, maybe it was the wine. She would have rather been treated like some kind of trophy wife than be ignored and belittled in her own house. She couldn't stand it anymore, she had to get away._

_She decided to return to her bedchamber. She was in no mood to feast._

* * *

_It had been several months since Garfield had attended the feast at Malchior's castle, Richard had switched places with him a few weeks after that and had been the one who had planted Lord Baran's body where Raven found it along with Garfield poetic note taunting Malchior._

" _Farewell, Victor, Garfield, please be safe," Kori said. "Have fun storming the castle!" It was a two weeks ride back to the castle and that would give her plenty of time to invade Nol, it was only a few days away from their current location._

_They both nodded, and rode off into the night._

_Meanwhile, Raven was confronting Malchior about what he had done the night of the feast._

" _How could you do this to me again and again?" Raven demanded._

" _Sweet Raven," Malchior said gently. "I was drunk, I wasn't thinking. I promise, it won't happen again."_

" _I'm tired of believing you," Raven sighed. "I'll be reading the Galleon Scrolls if you need me."_

_It was far away from his bed chamber, down several stairways, she would be there for a long time that night. She never even knew Garfield, Richard and Victor were confronting her husband about what he had done._

" _Hey, how did you know about these secret passages?" Victor asked Richard._

_Garfield and Victor had successfully incapacitated two guards outside, they tied them up and hid them and stole their armor, Richard had let them in after they gave him the signal they had arranged._

" _I actually bothered to look," he replied._

" _What does he use these for?" Gar asked._

" _I'd think you'd already know," Richard told him._

" _Oh, for_ that _," Gar smirked. "Does he ever block these off when they're not in use?"_

" _No," Richard said._

" _What an imbecile!" Victor laughed. "Doesn't he know that these can be use to assassinate him?"_

" _Well evil_ is _stupid after all," Gar pointed out._

" _That's not what that actually means, Gar," Richard said. "Oh, never mind."_

" _When I'm king there will be no such thing as a secret passage," Garfield said. "If everyone knows about it there'll be no surprises when someone is in my room before I am."_

" _Guards will not wear helmets indoors or wear armor that anyone could slip into, it was too easy for us to get in here."_

" _Well it helped that I was in here already," Richard pointed out. "I guess he is right when he says evil is stupid," Richard laughed. "We just have the two guards in front of his bedchamber."_

_They approached the guards. They looked at them and nodded._

" _We are here to relieve you of your duties," Richard told them. They nodded and walked off._

_Garfield slipped inside. Malchior was asleep in his bed, and he was alone, no mistress tonight. How fortunate._

She must be watching over me, _he thought,_ thank you Terra.

" _Good evening, My Liege," Garfield greeted him._

_Malchior started awake. There was someone in his bedchamber. How had someone come into his most private place?_

" _Who are you?" Malchior demanded._

" _Someone…someone who has wanted to punish you for your sins for a long time."_

_Victor and Richard waited outside and kept watch for any other knights. They could hear Garfield's voice from inside the room._

_"For everything you've done, I don't have any second thoughts about castrating you!" They heard Malchior let out a terrified squeak._

_Victor was shaking from laughter._

_"Oh please sir," he imitated a terrified shriller version of Malchior. "Don't take my royal parts! I need those!"_

_Richard was rollicking, "Even though they don't work!"_

" _I heard they fixed him," Victor said._

" _I really would prefer to castrate him, and then he really would be fixed," Richard scowled._

_They finally quieted down to hear what was being said. "What have I done? Surely you can't accuse me—"_

" _Don't feign naiveté thinking that will save you from my wrath. I wondered why you were so accommodating to me that night, promoting me to the rank of Baron, along with my closest friends; you were planning on going after his wife after you were through with mine!"_

_Malchior was speechless for once. "Who are you? Are you the one they call Absalom?"_

" _Yes, but I've grown weary of the silly games I've been playing with you. It's time I told you my real name and why I am here."_

" _Games? The only one playing games here is me," Malchior smirked. "I've been toying with you. I am systematically defeating your armies and decimating your numbers."_

" _That's what I would have you think, even though I seek to usurp you as king, that wasn't my true intention from the start."_

_Malchior was stunned. "What do you mean? Stop speaking in riddles!"_

' _My true intention for starting this war, for taking up my various personas to get close to you, the reason I did all this was just for tonight, at this very moment, my armies are descending on Nol as we speak, that is your home village is it not?"_

" _How could you? " Malchior stared. "You would take my home village?"_

" _Yes, it was very fitting, as you've taken everything from me. Or have you already guessed who I am?"_

" _No, speak plainly!" Malchior snapped._

_Garfield removed his helmet._

" _Lord Garfield!" Malchior was deeply shaken. "But I would have recognized you. Then who was the man I met who called himself Absalom?"_

" _None other," Gar replied._

" _Why did you come up with a silly name like that?" Malchior asked._

" _You don't read very much do you?" Garfield laughed. "Well it doesn't matter, since the name is no longer important."_

" _You met me first; you didn't recognize me because I took the face, mannerisms and appearance of a close ally."_

" _Lord Richard," Malchior recalled. "You are close with Lord Richard."_

" _We are friends yes. I had him teach me everything, how to walk, talk, eat, think and be everything he was."_

" _But when you gave that speech, when you first declared war on me. Who was at my side then?_

" _Richard was, of course. The trick was when we would switch. We made sure it was at different times of course, we knew when we needed to change places."_

" _But you are much shorter than he is!" Malchior stared, how could this peasant outthink and outmaneuver him?_

" _Victor made me books that were much taller. You didn't notice my footsteps were heavier than Richard's did you?"_

" _You can't be that smart!" Malchior snapped. "And why all the games?"_

" _I wanted to play games because it was too much fun not to," Gar said, holding his sword to Malchior's throat._

" _I've waited for so long for this moment, seeing you squirm is worth all the time and effort it took to pull this off."_

" _But why?" he asked._

" _It's quite simple," Gar replied. "I want revenge. You killed my wife; you took her from me and stole Terra's life from her. You don't know what it's like, to have someone you love die in your arms. I will go berserk, and that's not a threat, that's a promise. But first I want to humiliate you, utterly and thoroughly. In fact, I already have."_

" _Impossible!" Malchior exclaimed._

" _Right now there should be a messenger arriving to tell you that your home city has fallen into the hands of my forces."_

_A messenger came running toward the room; suddenly a knife was put to his throat._

" _Act like anything is wrong and you're dead," Victor told him. The man gulped._

" _My Lord, I have some terrible news!" the messenger called out._

_Gar pushed the blade against Malchior's throat. "Call for help and you're dead!"_

" _What is it?" Malchior asked in a normal tone of voice._

" _The village of Nol has fallen to Absalom's forces, our army has been decimated."_

" _Don't bother me with it now, I'll deal with it in the morning," Malchior said. It was all he could do to not betray his horror._

_The man left. Gar chuckled._

" _If you are here, then who is leading the attack on Nol?" Malchior asked._

" _Kori, Richard's wife," Gar replied._

" _You would send a woman out to do a man's job?" Malchior scoffed. "The female sex is evil and vile, don't you know that?"_

" _And yet you have no qualms about fornicating with them," Garfield smirked._

" _You know nothing about Princess Kori, the Kingdom of Tamaran prides itself on its warrior culture. Their princesses are especially fierce. She killed twenty knights when she made her escape from Gordania. I've seen her fight off ten men with nothing but a battleaxe as her only weapon. If anyone is going to lead my armies into battle when I'm away somewhere else, it would be her."_

_Malchior stared in horror. His actions had finally caught up to him._

" _I've heard some very…interesting rumors about you, Your Majesty," Gar said. "I've heard that you're no good, utterly useless in bed. I wonder how you discovered your impotence. Did your first lover tell you when you tried that you couldn't perform? She tell you when you tried that you were pathetic or perhaps you realized it first?"_

_Malchior glared at him. "I've had that problem fixed!"_

" _So you admit that you_ did _have a problem, wouldn't it have been better to deny the whole thing?" Garfield laughed. Malchior realized he had just revealed the biggest blow to his ego to his enemy and turned red with embarrassment._

" _I found out from a former mistress, she said how much better I was compared to you," Garfield grinned. He wasn't stupid enough to fall for this lie._

" _You would take what belongs to me?" he growled._

_Garfield did all he could not to laugh just yet. Malchior bought it, hook, line and sinker._

" _Well I'll leave you to contemplate what you're going to do now, Your Majesty, just be prepared to face me like a man when next we meet."_

" _Surrender and cease your petty rebellion. If it suits you I will pay for the loss of your wife. 1,200_ _ *****_ _crowns, nothing more, nothing less. That is my final offer in this matter."_

_Gar stiffened he stood still for a moment and began shaking with rage._

" _You think I'm after money? You think I started this war for something as useless as_ money _?" My wife was precious to me; there is no money you could pay me that could compensate me for my pain!"_

_He was disgusted and he began walking away._

" _You can't just walk out of here!" Malchior said, barley restraining himself from shouting._

" _Yes I can. Just watch me." Gar turned to leave._

" _And Malchior," Garfield added, as he turned to leave. "About those rumors that you were impotent, I lied. I made up the fact that I knew see how you'd react. I didn't actually think you_ were _though…it's rather sad the state you're in; you admitted it. Oh, wait a moment; it's not sad; it's excruciatingly funny."_

" _When we meet again, let it be on the battlefield, so at least they can say you died like a man and not the animal you really are!" Gar departed through the chamber door before Malchior could retort._

_He sighed and was very restless, he knew Raven was up. Maybe visiting her would boost his ego, at least there was someone he could still manipulate and control. He got up, dressed himself and called for more wine; the servants gave it to him, and informed him that the guards were gone. It would put him in a better mood before he went to torment his wife some more._

_Raven woke up the next day. She found her bed empty. Malchior was gone. She sighed and then the servants helped her get dressed. She was busy sorting through old book and papers when a servant informed her that there were some important Lords here to visit her._

_The young man, who was rather naïve, noticed that there was a chastity belt lying in an open box, blatantly discarded, she planned on burning it later. Raven refused to wear it; it wasn't like she_ needed _to._

" _My lady, aren't you going to wear that?" he asked._

" _By Azar, I'd rather burn in Hell than wear one of those so-called chastity belts!" she said angrily. "Like those things actually work. Besides, Malchior's not making me wear them is he?"_

" _No, but—" he protested._

_She gave him an ugly look._

" _You try to make me wear that, I'll castrate you. With a_ dull. Old. Knife. _Do I make myself clear?"_

_The man shrunk and said, "Yes, my lady!" and bolted out of the room._

_She didn't have time to think about such nonsense, she had to deal with overbloated windbags and that was not going to make her day any easier._

* * *

Raven wandered into the archive library and began looking through the stacks of parchments and books. She saw the book of recent history and decided to read it, wondering what praises the authors would heap upon Lord Garfield.

She was uninterested in what she was reading, mainly about his battling the evil and corrupt Malchior but then she read something:

_Lord Garfield achieved several strategic victories over Malchior by feigning routes and suffering several losses to purposefully let our tyrannical former king think that he was achieving victory._

She snapped. Now she knew the truth, for all Garfield's kind words, noble speeches and heroic actions, he was just like Malchior. No wonder her husband had gloated that Gar had done exactly what he wanted when he started the war. And to think that Gar had actually contributed in creating the Philosopher's Stone by purposely sacrificing his men. It was unforgivable.

But she didn't see the last paragraph, which read:

_He did all this to overthrow the tyrant who murdered his wife and unborn child._

She found him in the throne room. He was reading over something when he looked up at him.

"Raven, is something wrong?" he asked.

She gave him a look that would kill any other man.

He heard words that he knew would be said to him sooner or later:

"You let your own men die, just so you could kill Malchior!"

He sighed. This was not going to be a nice conversation at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Berserkers come from the bear skirts they wore.
> 
> * This is a torture technique. Thank you History Channel for the documentary on the Dark Ages.
> 
> * Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I mocked and despise gag boobs. Yuck.
> 
> * It was required that wives wear chastity belts while their husbands were off at war, not that this actually worked, especially in this story since well, we all know Maldouche.
> 
> * Yes, I can write my own poetry. Made that up myself. I never publish though, mainly 'cause I never actually feel like writing poetry.
> 
> * If a family member was murdered, the remaining relatives could pursue the murderer for compensation.


	9. Chapter Eight: Suspended in a Compromise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garfield and Raven's relationship takes an unexpected but inevitable turn.

"How could you do that!" she asked. "How could you purposely lose battles and let your men die just so you could win?"

The evil tyrant had played right into Malchior's hands, inadvertently helping create the Philosopher's Stone. She couldn't destroy it, the Stone was far too powerful, and it could only be used until it was depleted.

"I did it because I had to! It was the only way to defeat that arrogant, lust-driven piece of scum you married! And it's not like I _let_ them die. Our first few battles we were slaughtered by Lord Baran!" Gar snapped.

"You're quite ambitious aren't you, taking this kingdom for yourself. No doubt you always wanted all his power," Raven sneered.

Garfield finally lost all patience with her. "Do you still think I'm just like Malchior? That I only care for myself?"

"You may have fooled your subjects, but underneath all your false smiles and promises, you only overthrew Malchior for the power you wanted. I know you'll be overtaxing the serfs and bedding wenches soon enough!"

That was more than he could take. He exploded.

"I saved your life after you sided with me, and this is how you treat me!" he roared.

"I didn't side with you; I only refused to join them because I'm sick of all this bloodshed!"

"Don't make this about you, and speaking of which, while we're on that subject, what about you?" he snarled. "If I was going to start acting like a lech, don't you think I'd start with you?"

Raven was irate and indignant. "You monster! You _are_ just like him! Now you want to seduce me too, just to gloat!"

"Are you going to keep babbling without knowing what you're saying?" Gar retorted.

"No, I'm going to put you in your place!" she raged.

"If you had been anyone else I would have you flogged for your insults, but I'm going to teach you a lesson myself!" Garfield took up a sword and handed it to her.

"We'll settle this like sensible adults!" Garfield seethed.

They began fighting. Their battle was even fiercer than before.

He was in no mood for games; he fought her with his left hand. Both hands, every style he knew he was using to beat her into submission. Still after a few minutes, he began to enjoy himself, she was very skilled, and she fought well, he hadn't had a good opponent in a long, long time.

Still, Raven had fire in her. Fiery and alive, she was so similar to Terra. She was beautiful beyond words, even when infuriated. And he _wanted_ her. More than anything, he _needed_ her.

"You're a hard man in your measures, Master," Raven snarled "You make me sick!"

"I _know_ I am," he smirked. She just _had_ to say something like that. Her reaction to his innuendo was worth it. Her face twisted into a rage filled glare that could scare Satan out of Hell.

Raven balked at him. He was lewd and perverse and she was even more enraged that he was directing these comments at _her_. She was going to _kill_ him!

Blades met and tangled. "Do you always speak this way to women?" she asked.

"Just to my deceased wife," he replied. "She thought they were amusing, especially since I only talked this way to her in bed."

"Now you've set your sights on me, is that it?" she asked, she blocked a blow and switched hands. She even managed to scratch the side of his head with the tip of her blade. "You wanted Malchior's throne and now you want me too!"

"You don't know how badly," Garfield laughed. "To see you breathing so hard and sweating is very amusing! After all, sex est a pugna, diligo est bellum! ***** "

"I'll rip you to pieces!" Raven snarled.

Garfield quickly swung his blade, blocking all her blows and he avoided a slash aimed at his head. He ducked down and twisted as he thrust his blades backward; using the technique he had used to slay Dr. Arthur. He stopped, he didn't hear any screaming, his eyes glanced back and he could see Raven _blocking_ his swords. No one had ever been able to do that before.

"How did you learn to do that?" he asked.

"I saw you, and I remembered your little speech that you have to Arthur about observing people," Raven said. "Might as well use your own technique against you."

"You're very clever—" he complimented, suddenly reversing his body as he locked his blade with hers. "—and beautiful," he said, stealing a kiss from her.

Garfield felt his head spin. She was _intoxicating_. He wondered if her hair was as soft as it looked and he wanted to hold her, her lips were wonderful, he wondered if she'd ever been kissed before, maybe, she seemed to know how, even though she wasn't returning them.

How could Malchior have chased Terra when _Raven_ was his wife? Had he not met Terra, he would have been envious of him, had he ever actually treated Raven like a spouse instead of treating her like she didn't exist. He wanted her more than the air he was breathing, and he craved her companionship the most. Malchior was truly a monster. How could he _not_ love her? Not even _speak_ about her? It was inconceivable.

Raven on the other hand was shocked and horrified, how _dare_ he treat her like a wench, just to throw away after he became bored. No doubt this was how Malchior seduced women and she wasn't about to let him treat her the same way.

"I am not surprised I ended up in your arms but I'm not going to enjoy it."

"I promised Malchior I'd take everything from him, but I'm especially going to _enjoy_ taking you," Gar said, and then instantly regretted it. That did not come out the right way at all, he had actually meant to say something else, but he never could say the right thing around women right when he wanted to.

"I swear, by Azar, I'm going to kill you, you monster!"

She shoved him away and attacked him in a fury, using her powers to throw things at him that he just kept cutting down.

He'd had enough of humor. She was very intent on killing him. He was glad that Richard, Victor and Kori were gone checking on the other lords. They would have interfered and this confrontation wouldn't be half as fun as it was. They were both exhausted, and they decided not to sheathe their weapons, but to rest for a little while. That didn't keep them from arguing, however.

"So tell me again Raven," he panted. "How am I the monster here?"

"You killed him, you killed him in cold blood, and right when he promised he was going to change," Raven replied.

Suddenly, her blade embedded itself above his head; he had barely managed to avoid it. He didn't know where she had gotten such reserves of strength but he guessed it was fueled by her rage.

"Do you really believe that?" Garfield scoffed. What lies had Malchior told her? Someone like him could never change.

"Yes!" she shouted. "He told me that when he returned, he'd try to fix things. He said that he would change; he said he would always be there for me. He told me he loved me!"

He parried more blows and moved her toward the back of the hall right against the closed door of his bedchamber. She looked back, but noticed the door was closed.

"He _loved_ you?" Garfield began to laugh. "Not from what I know of him. He never even _talked_ about you."

"It doesn't matter," she told him. "You still killed him. For awhile, you almost had me fooled, being so kind and generous to me. You don't really mean anything you've ever said to me. You probably asked Adonis to torture me."

"What, that I felt sorry for you? You think _I_ had you tortured and flogged? I had nothing to do with that!" Gar said. He'd never seen her so irate before. It was even more terrifying than his first time.

You probably staged everything so you would end up with me in your bed!"

"Raven for God's sake, _shut up!_ " he roared.

"You shut up, you and all your lewd words and insults!" she demanded.

"It's called battle humor and innuendo, obliviously, you've never heard it before," Gar chortled.

"And regarding sex, you keep saying that like you _want_ to sleep with me!" Garfield was equally angry. "It was bad enough that you gave your body and soul to that impotent, lecherous rake, but now you you've set your sights on me too!" Garfield was infuriated beyond reason. She was quite manipulative, to think he had feelings for her. Well, she wasn't going to fool him again.

"I was about to say something about you, what about you? You must have seen me somewhere and you just had to have me. You were jealous of everything Malchior had and that's why you overthrew him. As for my body and soul, who I gave them to, is none of your concern!"

He hulled her up and pinned her against the door, knocking the sword from her hand. She was unable to move.

Raven was truly terrified. What was he going to do to her? Was he going to force himself on her? That truly frightened her. Raven's thoughts ran to her mother, her dear mother who had been manipulated by her demonic father Tirigon the Terrible. She had been conceived because of the horrible violation of her mother's body, now was he going to do the same to her?

"Just so we're clear, Raven. I didn't start this war because of you. You're quite conceited if you think that this has anything to _do_ with you. I made your husband pay for his sins, that's all!"

To imply that he had started this war to take her as a prize was sickening beyond description. He was not that petty.

Garfield felt satisfied by the terror in her eyes. She shouldn't speak so rashly to him. He'd grown weary of her attitude toward him. But there was something else, something more than just that.

"Please…you're not going to force me are you?" She asked. Gar's rage quelled for a second. He remembered what he had told her and wondered if that was what she was terrified of.

He didn't say anything. He had said it out of rage more than anything, but she took it as if he had truly meant it.

"My father raped my mother…please don't…force me…" The tears on her face were very real, and he knew this was no facade.

His heart broke. Why had he even uttered those words in the first place? To live with the burden of being a result of something so horrible. He loosened his grip on her shoulders and took her hands in his. So that was what weighed on her heart so much.

"You've taken everything from me, there isn't anything more you could possibly do to me!" she shouted, trying to pull away from him, but he kept a firm grip on her wrists.

"Please don't leave, Raven," he whispered softly. "Don't push me away."

Garfield pulled her close and kissed her. Gentle, soothing, his lips moved over hers as he slipped his arms around her. He had waited long enough to admit and express his feelings.

"I …" Raven said softly. Her mind was in turmoil and she wasn't sure how she felt. She was too confused. She tried to remind herself that he'd killed Malchior, her husband. Tried to remember that he was the one who had taken everything from her. She'd been holding onto her reasons for hating him for so long they had affected her opinion of him.

But being in his arms, having him kissing her and returning his kisses startled even her. She had craved this, sweet, passionate, ardent devotion from Malchior that Garfield gave her.

"Forgive my rash words; I say stupid things when I'm angry. I am so sorry…" Garfield apologized.

But there was something she didn't think he knew. Because she was a widow, the church said she could not remarry, ever. It wasn't fair but she was forced to play by their rules.

"Master," she stared at him, unable to quite look him in the eye.

"You call me Garfield," he said. "It sounds much better on your lips than Master," he kissed her again.

"Garfield…" she began but he put a finger to her lips.

"I don't want you to say anything. I'm going to make you forget all about him. Malchior will be just a distant memory for you. I want to be the only thing on your mind. I will not take advantage of you, I will never hurt you. I won't use you or manipulate you, and I will never betray your trust."

"I believe you," she told him.

"I love you, Raven," he said quietly.

"Garfield, our love can never be," Raven whispered.

"Don't say that," Garfield murmured, his mouth found hers and he kissed her breathless. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and he held her against him. Garfield could feel her breathing and he enjoyed the rhythm of her body against his.

He kissed her again and finally released her from his embrace.

"It makes me hate him even more," Garfield sighed.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, curious.

"Because he had you, and he didn't want you. He should have been happy. You're more than anyone deserves. For so long you've been the one I couldn't have."

"But he did want me; he loved me in the end…" Raven sighed.

Garfield was torn. He had done to her, exactly what had been done to him, even though he didn't realize it at the time. He supposed that it was a punishment, falling in love with her. There was only one thing he could do to atone for it.

Garfield took her hand. "Please, come with me," he said. He led her down to the blacksmith's shop. No one was in there and he began picking up tools.

"What are you doing Garfield?" she asked as he began working. She heard something break and she realized it was the collar around her neck.

"I am giving you your freedom," he said quietly. "You may do whatever you wish. I won't stop you."

"I think…I think I want to return home, to Nol," she said. Maybe if she went home she could sort out her feelings.

* * *

" _You're no good," Malchior hissed, glaring up at Raven._

" _Malchior, this is our wedding night, you can't expect this to be perfect," Raven protested._

" _You can't even arouse me, you're a useless lover."_

" _Malchior, don't say that. What's gotten into you, ever since you became king, you've changed. I don't even know you anymore."_

" _Don't change the subject. I'm very disappointed in you, Raven; I was expecting to consummate our marriage, despite the fact that this isn't a requirement."_

" _We could if you would let me try," she began._

" _Don't bother, it's not worth it," he said, turning over._

 _Raven rolled over and slumped her shoulders. What had she done wrong? She'd read books, heard stories, and yet it seemed he didn't even_ want _to consummate their marriage, after all, this_ did _take two people. She couldn't help but wonder if this was her fault. She tried not to think about it, and drifted into a dejected sleep. Maybe they'd try again later, but they never did._

Garfield stared at his empty bedroom, utterly dejected. He hadn't expected Raven to leave. He had hoped that she would have stayed, that he could earn her forgiveness somehow.

But that dream had shattered, the moment she had said that she had wanted to return no Nol. He didn't hold it against her though. She would be leaving in a week, and he hoped that she would be able to be happy. Even if it wouldn't be with him.

He felt that just when he had found someone to be happy with, fate always took them from him. He remembered Terra; their five years together had been the happiest times in Gar's life…

_Garfield sighed; completely content. It had been such a wonderful wedding day. The wedding night had been a little awkward, but they were utterly happy._

_Terra was curled against his shoulder, sprawled across his lap. They were covered by blankets and she looked up at him._

" _You were wonderful," she murmured._

" _So were you," he grinned._

" _How could the church possibly say it's a sin ***** , to love each other and enjoy intimacy?" Terra asked him. "They only expect us to do it once and _not _enjoy it."_

" _I don't believe that's right any more than you do, they say it's just for procreation, not pleasure," Garfield didn't get it either._

" _Well then I want more than one child," Terra stated adamantly. "I thought the Holy Scriptures say to "be fruitful and multiply."_

_"That suits me just fine," Gar laughed. "If our love is a sin, then we'll be the worst of sinners. Together."_

" _How many children do you want Garfield?" Terra asked._

" _Are you being serious?" he countered. Children were important but because life was hard for both women and children, unless you were a noble, most peasants and serfs did not wish to have children *****._

" _Yes, answer my question. How many children do you want?"_

_He thought for a moment. "Oh, two maybe?"_

_Terra laughed. "That would be interesting."_

" _A boy and a girl, it's perfect."_

" _Your shoulders are tense, Terra. Is something wrong?" Garfield began rubbing the back of her shoulders._

" _No, I have been very busy—oh, that hurts."_

" _Do you want me to stop?" he asked._

" _No, it helps," she replied, completely relaxed, lying on his lap on the bed._

_They drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a bright future together._

"Raven?" Garfield called to her.

"Yes…Garfield," she looked over hesitantly at him.

"I know my words don't mean much, but…Raven _,_ I'm sorry I took him from you. I gave him every chance but he didn't want it." he felt the weight in his chest become heavier. He thought apologizing was supposed to make you feel lighter, like the burden was coming off your shoulders and not getting heavier.

'Asking my forgiveness won't bring him back," Raven didn't look at him.

"I know, but you can't say that I never apologized," he turned to look out a window. "I don't expect you to forgive me."

That startled her. Usually, in a situation, she expected him to beg and plead for forgiveness.

"Then I guess this is goodbye," she told him.

"I supposed it is," he replied. "Be safe Raven."

Raven took a horse from the stable, and departed for Nol.

Raven stopped her horse next to a small cottage. It had taken her some time to get back. This had been what she had once called home a long time ago, when she had first moved to Nol. They had all forgotten about her. It had been many years since she had been there.

She stepped inside and looked around, no one had been in there and it had been unlived in for some time. The town had been torn apart by the war between Garfield and Malchior and people were just starting to return.

Raven sat down on what was left of her bed and had to wonder. What was she going to do now? Should she return to Jump Estate and confess her feelings to Garfield, if she had any feelings for him at all, or should she just stay here and live out her life however she wanted?

_Raven, I'm sorry I took him from you. I gave him every chance but he didn't want it._

Did he truly want to change? Or was he playing her heartstrings after all? She didn't know what to think.

She began rummaging through her things. She found a book, hidden under the floor. It was some kind of record. She opened it and saw the handwriting. It was Malchior's.

 _I want everything the world has to offer, I don't care how I get it. I'll have everything. Money, women, status, nothing will be beyond my reach. I will lie, steal, cheat and manipulate anyone, I_ will _rule this country and no one will stop me._

 _As for women, they're easy. Promise them love and affection and they'll do whatever you want them to. It's too easy to charm them, especially the ones who are truly vulnerable. As for her? She's especially easy to manipulate. I never loved her, I loved her power, and her knowledge of magic is what draws me to her. She's not particularly attractive and I couldn't care less about what she wants. My sweet Raven is just another puppet. It's too bad I'm already growing bored of her. I guess I'll have to string her along, I_ hate _the fact that I'm getting married to her._

Raven's eyes blurred. She'd been played for a fool all along. How could she not have seen this coming? Her love for him had blinded her to nearly all his sins. She shook with rage and grief. Just when she felt her heart might heal, it shattered again.

She let out an agonized scream of grief.

Garfield had followed her back, leaving Richard in charge of his affairs. He had been curious about where she had come from and wanted to see where she had lived. He had travelled in normal clothes, not wishing to flaunt the fact that he was travelling around.

He heard a shout, and it tore him apart when he realized who the voice belonged to. He dismounted Cielo and ran toward the sound of the voice.

He found her, huddled on the floor, her face buried in her hands. He saw her tears and wondered why she was crying. He saw the book and picked it up. The words he read mortified him. Just when he had wondered if Malchior had a heart, his suspicions were confirmed. He had manipulated and used her too.

Raven sensed a presence behind her and saw Garfield, dressed in simple clothes and he looked at her.

"Raven, I'm so sorry," Gar said. He knelt down beside her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I wanted to see where you came from. I was worried about you and—"

She pulled him to her, her arms wrapped around his waist. Gar held her against him and whispered comforting words to her.

"You're going to be all right. I love you. Shh…shh…Please don't cry."

"He lied to me. He lied, and I gave him what he wanted."

"You think you're alone Raven, but you're not, and I'm sorry."

"What could you be sorry for? You're not the one who…"

"I'm sorry that he broke your heart." He meant it.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you. I don't hate you anymore," Raven looked at him.

"Let's go home," he said.

"I can't say in the castle, I'm not your servant. I have no right to stay."

"But I still need a tutor," he said. "Who better than you?"

"Are you sure about that?" she asked quizzically.

"Yes, Rae, I'm completely sure," he replied.

No one called her that before. She found she really didn't mind.

She followed him out to Cielo, it was time to go home.

"What became of the families of the men who died?" Raven asked.

"I provided them with food and water and anything they needed," he replied. "They were good people. Their families deserve respect and honor for what they did."

Raven nodded. She'd been wrong about him all along. She regretted the words she said to him. Still, there was one more thing she needed to know.

"Garfield, why won't you tell me what Malchior did to you?" Raven asked.

"I wasn't ready to talk about it," he replied.

"Are you now?" she asked.

"Yes. I think it's time I told you, since you know the truth of how he really was," Garfield said. "I never forgive him for what he did to me."

"What would that be?" she asked, deeply curious.

"He murdered my wife," Garfield said, the grief evident in his voice.

"When did this happen?" Raven asked. "I never heard anything about it."

"Malchior wouldn't tell you of course. I never even saw you when I came to the castle."

"I was gone," Raven explained. "I found Malchior in bed with another woman, and I was too upset to stay there."

"That explains it. He tried to seduce Terra, she refused him. When we left, Malchior ordered to have me killed, but Baran missed and shot Terra instead. She died in my arms."

"Garfield, I'm sorry," Raven told him. What else could she say? All this time she thought he was a power hungry war mongering monster, but now she knew that he was a man rightfully justified in a war for revenge. If something like this had happened to her, wouldn't she have done the same things in if she were in his shoes?

"It's worse, Terra was pregnant."

Raven was horrified. Any remainder of any emotional attachment she had to Malchior dissolved in that moment. Malchior had murdered a woman and her baby. She hated him and like Garfield, would never forgive him.

"I'm such a fool," she berated herself. "I couldn't even see him for what he was."

"You loved him, and he knew that. He knew exactly what to do and say to you," Garfield looked at her. "What did he say to you that caused you to hate me so much for killing him?"

"He told me he loved me, those were his last words he ever said to me," Raven wondered if that was a lie too.

"Do you think he meant them?" Gar asked her.

"I doubt it," Raven sighed.

"Raven," Gar looked at her.

"What Garfield?" she asked.

"I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> * Sex is a battle, love is war (translated in Latin!) Saw it as a quote on TVTropes, had to use it. The Latin just makes it sound cooler.
> 
> * They really did believe that sex, even married sex for pleasure was a sin. So all those Hollywood movie set in the Middle Ages where the hero and the love interest fall in love and sleep together (most of the time, it's fornicating) would have been seen as a Big No by the Catholic church back then, and knights were technically Catholic. So Hollywood fails religious studies forever.
> 
> * In the Middle Ages, getting pregnant wasn't exactly a great thing 'cause they didn't know how to take care of women and raising kids was hard because they got sick and died a lot.
> 
> My brother and sister-in-law are happily married and are the happiest married people I know. Yay for real life experiences and observations. I've never seen them fight, they're all lovey-dovey and it's completely sweet, my brother's a soldier and he's made of win so that's why. He even taught me some defense techniques I can actually do. They're both my inspirations for BB/Rae pairing and BB/T pairing. Yes, I know the happiest married couple in the WORLD.
> 
> P.S.: I'm deeply glad I killed off Maldouche early on. Thank you DarkRapture for the story ideas. I was originally gonna make BB/Rae's first kiss a slap-slap kiss, but then I put her origin story in there, and then slap-slap kiss was definitely not appropriate, so I changed it.


	10. Chapter Nine: The Silence of the Sound is Soon to Follow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garfield wants to marry Raven, but will the Church approve?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Yay, fluffy romantic time! The series finale of LOST is a flipping Gainax Ending! UGH! At least I'm comforted by the fact that the FMA ending next month won't make me want to scream in frustration, unlike LOST!

* * *

"How many times do I have to explain this to you, you yogurt brain?" Raven said, pounding on the table.

"Want a taste?" Garfield jested.

"No I don't!" Raven said exasperated. "Didn't you hear what I just told you?"

"Yes, yes, I heard you," Garfield said. "You were showing me those Arabic numbers weren't you?"

"Yes, can you convert them from Roman Numerals?" she asked.

"I think so," he replied. "I is 1, II is 2, III is 3, IV is 4, V is 5, VI is 6, VII is 7, VIII is 8, IX is 9, and X is 10."

"Very good," Raven congratulated him. "You should get some rest."

"What time is it?" Garfield asked.

"Two-o'-clock," Raven replied. Garfield had received a clock as a gift from Richard, who had gone to Italy and purchased it as a present.

"Let's go outside," Garfield suggested.

They began walking through the garden, Garfield seemed abnormally quiet.

"Is something wrong, Garfield?" Raven asked.

"No, nothing's wrong," he replied.

"You're unusually quiet today," Raven observed.

"I see you noticed," he laughed.

"Raven, what do you want to do with your life?" he asked.

She frowned at the strange question; no one had ever really asked her that before.

"I'm not quite sure, if the Church would let me use my powers, I would use them to help people, but I can't," she sighed.

"Terra, she was gifted, like you. She had special powers. She could move the earth with her mind, and she saved my life when we first met," Garfield stopped for a moment.

"Is that all you see when you look at me?" Raven asked. "Just a reflection of Terra, the wife you lost?"

"No of course not," he insisted. "I see you, you're clever, quick witted, you truly care about me, not like these sycophants who have latched onto me like leeches. They'll suck me dry if I'm not careful. And you never lie to me. I find your honesty one of the things I love about you the most."

"I see…" she wasn't sure what to say or if she should say anything.

"What are these other things?" she was curious. Malchior had never bothered to really have a conversation with her, unless it concerned magic or talk of things that didn't interest her.

"The fact that you want to talk to me. That you want to know who I am and don't want my friendship for anything that it can bring you, politically or financially. And I feel like I can talk to you about anything."

Garfield laughed. "You must find these things rather silly."

"No Garfield, I don't find it silly at all," Raven told him. "You're the first person who hasn't ever been afraid of me. You accept me and you've never judged me or thought I was…"

"Evil?" he supplied.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Only the stupid or the blind would stand there and call you evil," Gar said, holding her hand.

He kissed her sweetly and she embraced him. She stumbled against him and lost her balance. He tumbled to the ground with her and she landed on top of him. He noticed their predicament and chuckled, seemingly amused by the situation.

"Garfield, you shouldn't be out here with me like this," Raven warned. He was beneath her. He was smiling up at her. Gar pulled her mouth down to his.

"What could possibly be wrong with me showing you affection?" he asked, still kissing her.

"This won't look good for you, I'm not your wife for one and for another, all the peasants hate me!" Raven hissed in his ear.

"Must you always worry Rae?" Gar asked, pulling away.

"Your rashness will cause nothing but trouble," Raven warned. "This is a very compromising position we're in *****!"

"I'll deal with it when the time comes," he reassured her.

Raven got to her feet and pulled him up. He gave her a smile and led her away, back into the town. He thought that he would find Victor and Richard and they would all spend some time together. They had all welcomed Raven as their friend and she became close to all of them.

Little did Garfield know that a peasant, an apple farmer had seen them together with Raven on top of Garfield as they kissed. He was angry; all the peasantry knew of Lord Malchior's cruelty and most had experienced it.

He was insulted that the wife of the tyrant was the one who held their King's attention. They had been furious when they had learned that she was his tutor and that he had freed her from the servitude they thought she deserved.

But to see their master publicly displaying affections for her, with her on top of him was utterly despicable. He decided to report it to the local church. Surely Lord Garfield had fallen under the witch's spell and the church would help Garfield be rid of her evil sorcery.

"What did you say they were doing?" the Father asked, an eager look in his eye.

"They were kissing, Lord Garfield and the witch Raven," the peasant replied, truly mortified. "She was on top of him."

"Could you tell what the nature of their activities were?" the Father asked.

"I could not see, I am sure I would not want to see," the peasant said.

"So they could have been naked for all you know," the Father said, an evil thought entered his head. He despised the fact that Garfield was so fond of Malchior's widow and the fact that she apparently returned his affections. How dare he spit in the faces of all the peasants he swore to defend by falling in love with that evil witch!

"The little harlot, how _dare_ she seduce our king!" the Father raged. "Incite your fellow peasants against Lord Garfield. Let him know that God does not tolerate such behavior!"

Richard was the first to notice that something was terribly wrong. There was a crowd of about twenty peasants. They were armed with pitchforks and knives and axes.

"What's the matter?" Garfield asked calmly. Richard put his hand on his sword.

"We saw you," a peasant shouted, "with her!"

"Who I keep company with shouldn't bother you," Garfield said warily.

"She was on top of you, seducing you, we will not stand for it anymore, we will break this witch's curse on you by killing her ourselves since you refuse to!"

Garfield immediately, moved himself between Raven and the crowd. Richard and Victor were shoving them back, trying to keep the angry mob away from their friend.

"Raven is not evil, just listen to me—" Garfield was speaking loudly, trying to be heard over the crowd.

Suddenly, a peasant stepped forward; he had a bow in his hand.

"Death to the tyrant!" he shouted.

None of them actually saw the arrow hit Garfield, they just saw him get knocked off his feet and hit the ground hard.

Richard moved between the enraged crowd and Raven. He began blowing on a horn, summoning other knights to his aid. Victor spotted the man who had tried to assassinate Garfield and he quickly removed a knife and hurled it into the man's chest. He dropped dead instantly. Gar lay on the ground, bleeding from his shoulder. She could see the arrow and wanted to help him, but the crowd was trying to get to her and Richard was trying to get to Garfield while Victor was trying to hold the mob at bay.

"Raven, get back!" Victor ordered. "Stay behind me! We're getting you out of here!"

"Garfield!" she called out to him. "Garfield!"

Victor helped Raven up onto his horse and they began riding back to the castle. He beat angry peasants off and tried his best not to hurt them.

"What about Garfield?" Raven asked; her voice full of fear.

"Richard will take care of him," Victor reassured her. "Don't worry about him. Richard will get him out. He always does."

Garfield's vision began to blur. There was excruciating pain in his right shoulder. Someone had shot him. It was very painful. He wondered if he was going to bleed out, just like his wife Terra had.

His vision began to fade when he felt himself being lifted up. He recognized the helmet. It was Richard.

 _You came for me, just like always,_ Gar thought.

Richard carried him away on horseback as the knights he had summoned subdued the angry peasants.

Despite this incident, Garfield couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness. It had been six years since he'd fallen in love with a woman. He was grateful to Terra; she had shown him what it truly meant to love someone else.

He had never really believed it was possible, until she'd come into his life.

* * *

" _Come on, Terra, come on!" Garfield beckoned his female companion. Terra had a nervous expression on her face. He had fireworks in one hand, and a candle in the other._

" _This is going to be exciting!" he was giddy._

" _Garfield Logan, you're going to shoot off fireworks you stole from the stockpile that were purposely for the wedding!"_

" _It's not like Lord Malchior is going to care," Garfield laughed. He had taken a candle with him and started lighting them up. He jumped away and watched them go up into the sky. The crowd started cheering, not knowing that they weren't even supposed to go off yet. Then suddenly, the sky exploded in an array of very bright, beautiful colors._

" _It's beautiful here," Terra said, staring out from a spot on the bridge, as the fireworks were being shot up into the sky._

" _Yes, it is," Garfield agreed._

" _Why didn't you congratulate the bride and groom?" Terra asked._

" _I've never actually met His Majesty or the Queen, nor do I wish to for that matter," Garfield replied. "I'm just a lowly soldier. A life on the battlefield, that's my life. Not extravagant feasts and wine and women."_

" _Is that all you want your life to be, just going to war?" Terra asked._

" _The love of battle is the food that a knight lives on," Garfield smiled. "Honor and glory. That suits me fine."_

" _But you can't live on those things for the rest of your life," Terra observed._

" _No, of course not," Garfield looked at her._

" _What about you?" he asked. "You are the Princess of Markovia, surely, your parents have arranged your marriage to some noblemen."_

" _No, I left them a long time ago, they don't know where I am and there is no political advantage to marrying me. My brother Brion Markov is the crown prince."_

" _Nonsense, noble families are always looking for ways to increase their power, you would just be married off to some rich man."_

" _I ran away from home because I didn't want to get married for politics," Terra said, her eyes were set. "I want to get married for love."_

" _Love?" Garfield gave a derisive laugh. "Ah, is this the notion of "romantic love" that I've heard so much talk about lately?"_

" _Is there something wrong with it?" Terra seemed irritable._

" _No, it's just, I don't think it can really be done," Gar told her._

" _Why are you so skeptical?" she asked. "Look at Richard and Kory, they have gotten married!"_

" _They've always been fond of each other," Garfield explained. "It's merely a coincidence, a fluke that they've married."_

" _Oh good grief Garfield, listen to yourself!" Terra was exasperated. "You act as if it's impossible for you to love anyone besides yourself."_

" _It's not that," Garfield protested. "It's just, all these things you keep talking about, I don't really understand them."_

" _Then I'll_ make _you understand," Terra said simply._

" _How?" he asked, thoroughly puzzled._

" _Like this," Terra leaned forward and kissed him._

 _Garfield felt as if the whole world stopped. This feeling, this new, wonderful, exquisite feeling, began to invade him like an army besieging a castle. He'd heard talk about "falling in love" and how wonderful it was, but_ this _was beyond him._

_His heart was pounding. What was he supposed to do? His mouth began to mimic hers, gently moving across her lips. He felt…so happy. He hadn't felt this way since his childhood, before his parents had drowned, managing to push him to safety before they were swept away in a river in some distant country._

_They had been there as healers, and doctors. They had even managed to save him after he had come down with the Plague; he had barely managed to survive._

_He was very fond of Terra, they had been friends for a long time, but he had never seen themselves as anything more than that, considering her royal heritage._

_He was rather skeptical about life; perhaps the fact that he knew life was short. He didn't believe the strange ideas that the religious minds spouted on about. That people had dog heads and existed_ _***** _ _. That people thought the moon was being attacked by monsters every so often, or that the eclipse in the heavens was a harbinger of doom. He was smarter than that._

_He felt his arms slipping around her waist. He pulled away from her and gave her a nervous smile. "That was…interesting."_

" _You're such a skeptic aren't you Garfield?" Terra asked. "I wonder how I'm going to get it through your thick skull."_

" _What?" he asked._

" _That I've fallen in love with you," she said._

" _Really?" he asked._

" _Yes, Garfield. I have," Terra said._

" _It doesn't sound so bad," he said. "This romantic love that you always talk about. It's rather fascinating. But I still don't understand it."_

" _Don't worry, Gar," she told him. "You're not supposed to."_

_Garfield moved forward and pulled her close, he pressed his mouth to hers. Maybe being in love wasn't such a bad thing after all._

* * *

Raven saw Richard dismounting his horse in the courtyard, there was something on the back of it. She realized it was Garfield.

"Is he still alive?" she asked.

"Yes, Victor brought Kori here didn't he?" Richard asked.

"Yes, she is," Victor said. They moved him to a table Kori had prepared. A squire hastily removed Garfield's armor he'd been wearing, the arrow had gone between the chinks and into his shoulder.

The armor was off and blood leaked everywhere. Kori handed Raven a wooden cylinder.

"Put this in his mouth," she instructed.

"What for?" she asked.

"You will see," Kori replied.

Raven put the wooden cylinder near his mouth. "Bite down."

He did as he was told. He was breathing heavily.

Raven saw Kori take out a knife and she began cutting into his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she asked, panicked.

"I am removing the arrow from his shoulder by cutting it out," Kori told her.

Garfield was screaming in terrible pain.

"Isn't there anything you can do for the pain?" Raven asked.

"I could give him some hemlock juice* but that could kill him," Kori warned. "You will just have to bear with the pain Garfield."

"We could give him some medicine," Another healer suggested.

Garfield ripped the cylinder out of his mouth. "No medicine! I refuse to take medicine; I won't have you shoving that cold metal thing up my butt!"

" _That's_ how he receives medicine?" Raven asked, more than a little horrified.

"Yes, but I do try to give him everything else," Kori told her.

"Have you tried opium?" Raven asked.

"Does it work?" Kori asked.

"Yes," Raven replied. "I have seen a few surgeries."

"Anything else I need?" she asked.

"Some Ale and some silk thread," Raven replied. "I've…had to pull arrows out of Malchior more than once."

"But how did you learn that?" Kori asked.

"I've read the medical books of Albucasis, Rhazes, and Avenzoar *****."

"The famous Arabian doctors, I see, I have not gotten to read those books, you must teach me everything you know."

"I will, after we get that out of him," Raven sorted through the materials they brought her.

They gave him the opium and he went to sleep. Kori then cut around the arrowhead and pulled it out. Raven used some ale to clean his wounds and then, since Kori had more experience sewing, she sewed his wound back together.

"I could use your help here, you could save thousands of lives," Kori smiled. "I am grateful. Please, watch him while I attend to my other patients."

"I will," Raven replied. She sat down beside Garfield. She placed her hand on his wounded shoulder.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she whispered softly, she was going to use her powers to heal him, no matter what the church or anyone said. She loved him too much to lose him.

* * *

_Terra felt him staring at her as he willed her to return his gaze. He was overpowering and so full of passion as he willingly embraced his emotions that he hadn't understood before. She had never been so happy in her life._

_They shared everything together, and in a month they were going to be married. It had been a year since they'd shared their first kiss. They'd become close and he wanted to marry her. He had tried to ask her parents' permission but when they found out he was not a nobleman and that there was no political advantage to the marriage, they refused._

_They wanted to force her to marry someone else, but she had told them she'd made up her mind to marry Garfield. Then they disowned her and took her lands and estates she had possessed in Markovia. She didn't care though, she was going to marry Gar, and that was enough for her._

_It was important for the parents of the bride and groom to give their permission, but since Garfield was an orphan and Terra was disowned, they decided to just get married anyway._

_Terra looked up at her betrothed, a young 16 year old Garfield Logan. "Garfield, promise me something," she told him as he held her in his arms._

" _Hmm? What is it Terra?" he asked._

" _Promise me you'll wait until we're married to make love to me, all right?" she asked. He was a little surprised, sometimes; consummation was allowed to take place before the actual wedding so the request was strange._

" _But we'll be married_ very _soon," he murmured, "We could consummate our marriage now." He gave her a smile._

" _I want to wait," she told him._

" _Why?" he asked, curious._

" _it will be special then, I want to call you my husband when we have sex. This is something I want. Will you do that for me?"_

" _I'd do anything for you Terra," he kissed her cheek sweetly. "I'll wait, just because you want me to."_

_He looked over at the bright hearth as the fire burned brighly in his estate. "This next month is going to kill me!"_

" _You'll survive," she reassured him. "Besides, the_ anticipation _is what makes this worth it."_

" _How do you know?" he asked._

" _Trust me, Garfield," she told him, a gleam in her bright blue eyes. "You'll be thanking me on our wedding night."_

* * *

Garfield opened his eyes, waking from the wonderful dream he was having. There was pain in his right shoulder. It didn't seem as bad as before though. He looked over and saw Raven staring at him.

"You're awake," he heard Raven's voice tell him. "That's good."

"Did they hurt you?" He asked.

"No I'm fine," Raven replied.

"I'm going to find out who gathered that mob and who incited them against you. I won't let anyone hurt you, ever. I promise you that."

Raven considered his words and smiled. She took his hand in hers.

"Kori says you'll recover."

"My shoulder feels much better now," Garfield said.

"I'm glad of it; I used my powers to heal it."

"And they say that magic is evil," Garfield sighed. "You could do so much for people."

"But the church won't let me," Raven reminded him.

"Yes, that's true…" Garfield felt the realization of who had incited the mob against him. The Holy Father was very fond of condemning sinners, he _loved_ to condemn Raven, despite the fact that he never mentioned her by name and despite the fact that she had never set foot inside the cathedral. Once he recovered, he was going to pay the Father a visit.

"Garfield," Raven looked over at him.

"What is it, Raven?" he asked.

"I love you," she said simply. She meant every word.

"I love you too," he told her. She moved over and kissed his forehead. He gave her a smile and drifted off to sleep.

It was a month before he had fully recovered and Garfield walked into the cathedral and saw the Father in prayer.

"Hello My Lord, have you come to confess your sins?" he asked. "Perhaps that you fornicated with that violet haired witch?"

Garfield stiffened and glared at him. "It was you. You told those peasants that Raven was sleeping with me."

"Yes, I wanted to warn you against these so-called emotions you have for her. She's cast a spell on you, and she's controlling you."

"Be silent! Don't forget who I am, Father, I can have you hanged!" Garfield warned.

"I have wealth and power and the backing of His Holiness, the Pope," the Father warned. "You cannot touch me."

"Don't bring His Holiness into this; the Pope couldn't care about this insignificant country."

"I'll not have any more of your lies and slander concerning myself _or_ Raven. If you incite another riot or insurrection against me, I'll send you to Christ Jesus Himself and He'll hold you accountable for your actions. Do I make myself clear?"

The Father shrank and conceded. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

"Just as long as we're clear, Father," Garfield said. He turned and walked out of the cathedral.

He knew that his life would probably be a short one, and he didn't know how long he would live, but no matter how long it was, he wanted to share it with Raven. He made up his mind as he left; he was going to ask her to marry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Hemlock juice was an anesthetic and it could kill the patient.
> 
> * These were all Arabic physicians who could actually perform surgeries and knew what they were doing back then.
> 
> * The person on top represents dominance, so a woman being on top of a man was a big no back then (although this has to do with the sex act more than anything. Wow, that's an awkward note.)
> 
> * They did believe in weird stuff like this.
> 
> People got married really young, like Romeo and Juliet in the play.
> 
> I know the cliché that all fanfic writers and romance writers are girls but in reality, the BEST romance I ever watched is the anime RomeoXJuliet and the half the English scripts are written by Taliesin Jaffe, who is most certainly a guy, and he's the head writer for the anime.


	11. Chapter Ten: Somehow Sundown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gar wishes to marry Raven, but what will he do when the church refuses to marry them?

Richard walked into the armory to find Garfield hard at work making an elaborate, expensive suit of armor. He'd been working on it for months and planned to sell it to Lord Wayne, who was preparing to declare war on the tyrannical Lord Oswald.

"Garfield!" Richard called.

"Yes," he looked up. "Hello, Richard."

"is something on your mind? You've been very busy lately, and I don't mean with politics, you've got meetings with other Lords and you've been delaying them."

"I'm going to ask her soon," Garfield vowed. "Very soon. I want to marry her."

"We know, Garfield, we trust her and you, but this might not bode well with the commoners. They believe she's a witch," Richard warned. "Look what happened when they found out you freed her. They rioted and someone shot you with an a bow and arrow that Kori had to cut out of you."

Richard sighed, "Unlike Terra, Raven's powers are common knowledge."

"Nothing you say is going to change my mind, Richard," Gar told him. Richard knew there was no stopping Garfield once he put his mind to something.

"What do I do Richard?" Gar needed advice, it'd been a long time since he'd been married.

"Ask the Priest for his blessing, then you ask her," Richard said. The process was quite simple; he couldn't believe that Gar had forgotten.

He headed to the cathedral in high spirits to talk to the Priest about sanctioning his wedding. The Father was overjoyed that he was considering getting remarried. Until Garfield told him that he wished to marry Raven. Then, he adamantly refused to bless them. They wouldn't even let him draw up the papers for it, even though he wanted to!

"My Lord Garfield. Despite your so-called feelings for the witch Raven, I cannot permit you to marry her. Why you spared her is beyond me. She is a widow and it is against the laws of the church to remarry."

The Father gave him a stern look. "Has she bewitched you with her magic that you no longer think clearly?"

"She didn't love him, I know that much," Garfield replied.

The Father was irate. "Love is for simpletons and fools. Marriage is a business contract, a way to carry on your bloodline. And to taint it with _her_ of all people, the whoring wife of Malchior!"

"Shut your mouth!" Garfield snapped. "She's not a whore; you should go to confession yourself Father, for saying such horrible things."

"Be that as it may, you have slain countless men, so you cannot marry her."

"It was a war that is what happens in battle."

"I will not give you my blessing," he scowled at Gar.

"It won't matter, I'm marrying her."

"You would marry a pagan heathen?" the Father sputtered. "It is shameful for you to marry outside your faith, look what became of King Solomon *****."

"I'm not marrying 700 women, I just want one," Gar was frustrated, by Christ Himself, didn't they see he was trying to actually follow the rules? But just because it was _Raven_ , he wished to marry had them all spewing fire, Hell and brimstone at him.

"She is not a Catholic!"

"Then I renounce my faith, if that makes you happy," Gar sighed. Surely God would understand that Raven herself wasn't evil. She was just different from everyone, she never used her magic to hurt anyone, especially since she wasn't _allowed_ to use it in the first place.

_Christ Himself is more tolerant of Raven than this pompous windbag. I highly doubt I will find a more tolerable priest who would marry us.  
_

"Garfield if you leave and marry her you'll regret it!" the Father shouted.

"I still don't see how marrying a widow is wrong. God go with you Father," Gar said. "But I'm holding you responsible for judging her like this."

He left the cathedral and headed over to Richard's house where Kori and Victor were.

"Garfield, what is wrong? You seem angry," Kori observed.

"Richard, Kori, Victor, I'm going to marry Raven," he told his friends. They weren't surprised in the least. They knew that the two of them had become close.

"But what about the church's blessing?" Richard asked.

"I don't need them to get married," he said. So _that_ is what had him upset.

"I'll be gone for two weeks. I need you to stay here and watch over my kingdom for me. I won't be gone too long."

"What about the other Lords?" Richard asked. "What do I tell them?"

"Tell them I'm on holiday, that I need a break and I will resume my duties when I return," Garfield had been planning on taking a journey to ease his mind anyway.

"You will have to make your marriage public, you know," Kori warned him.

"Then I'll do that," Gar said evenly.

"Even if the citizens desert you?" Victor asked.

"I'd give up the love of the masses just to love her."

"Love, it turns us all into idiots," Richard laughed. "The only reason they permitted your first marriage and even my marriage to Kori is because both Terra and Kori are from royal families."

"Of course, we didn't marry them for that, and Terra's family disowned her for marrying me," Gar said.

"No of course not and I haven't forgotten about that," Richard laughed.

"We would go with you, but you want us to stay here," Victor said. "Well, good luck with her. You'll need it."

Raven was busy, reading through some stories, the ones about Tristan and Iseult, not that she liked the characters or the story that much, but it did pass the time. There wasn't much else to do, as she had taught Gar everything she knew. He wouldn't be interested in magic, so she hadn't brought up the subject and the fact that the church barely tolerated her existence made it a wise decision not to show him any. She looked up as he entered.

"Raven, I'm going away for awhile. I want you to come with me. "We'll be gone for two weeks."

"All right," she said. "But where are we going?"

"You'll see," he said mischievously.

She noticed he had a few things with him; one of them was very large. She gathered up some dresses and other things she needed and they departed on Cielo. Raven noticed that Garfield wore simple yet elegant clothing and did not wear anything to indicate that he was ruler of a country.

They rode for three days until they reached a wide field. She looked up and saw an abandoned church.

"Why have you brought me here?" she asked.

"I must ask you something," he said.

"Garfield…do you mean…? Raven felt tears sting her eyes. He was finally going to ask her.

Garfield got down on one knee and removed something from his pocket. It was made of solid gold. Rings weren't common items and they were ridiculously expensive*. Even on her wedding day with Malchior, he had given her a broken coin, and he had been exuberantly wealthy too, and could have afforded to give her a ring!

"Garfield…"

"Raven, will you marry me?" he asked, all the love and affection he held for her, he put into this ring. He didn't care that it had taken him months to save up for it, nor that he had to build and sell an entire suit of armor just to afford it*, the look on her face was worth all his efforts.

"I will," she replied.

"I brought you something," he said. He led her inside and showed her a large chest, she opened it. Inside the chest was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen in her life.

It was an elegant royal blue; it had some white frills down by her waist and a high collar with white that made it resemble a flower. There were also white frills at the bottom of the skirt and it looked gorgeous.

Garfield was dressed in a green shirt, striped with light and dark green, he was very striking in it, even thought it was simple, yet becoming. It was the same outfit he had worn when he had seen her at the fountain after the feast, when he had asked her about the roses.

Gar then handed her a beautiful white rose. She had recalled telling him that she had liked them but she didn't think he actually remembered.

"Hello there," he greeted a young man, about his age. He had long hair up in a ponytail and he was sitting inside the ruined church.

"Hello sir," the young man said. He didn't recognize Garfield at all.

"Are you from around here?" Gar wondered. The young man wore traveler's clothes and he wondered where he was headed.

"No, I am heading to Jump Estate," the man replied.

"Why would you go there?" Garfield asked.

"To have adventures," the man replied. "I wish to join Lord Garfield's knights."

"I see, when you arrive, ask for Sir Richard, he will help you in anything you need."

"You know Sir Richard?" the man asked.

"Yes, you could say we're friends," Gar replied. "But before you go would you stay a moment, and be a witness for us? I am getting married, you see."

"I can see," the man replied. How had this man gotten such a beautiful lady as his bride? It didn't seem possible a man could be that lucky.

"What is your name Sir?" Garfield asked.

"Men call me Sir Garth," the man replied.

"I thank you, Sir Garth for your help," Garfield said. In order for his marriage to Raven to be valid, he would need a witness, he hadn't thought that far ahead but he was lucky that this young man was here before they were.

With that he turned his attention back to Raven he placed a small, white handkerchief on her head, to serve as her wedding veil. He led her slowly into the church and down the aisle to the front.

"Don't we need a priest?" she asked.

"It's not a requirement, I'll marry you myself," he told her. They turned to face the front.

"Here stands Garfield," he began.

"And here stands Raven," she said.

"On this morn, we promise to share joy and sorrow, for all the rest of our days," he promised, binding his heart and soul to hers.

"We swear," she vowed. They turned back to face each other.

"For all our life, and until death," he led her.

"For all our life, and until death," she repeated.

Together shall we be, henceforth, to the end of eternity." They were of one voice, heart, mind and soul.

He pulled her close and kissed her.

Their mouths fused, Gar clutched her to him, as if she would disappear. Raven held him for dear life, as if she were drowning, and she was. Drowning in all these wonderful emotions she had never felt before. They finally pulled away, and he looked at her.

"Well, I'll take my leave of you, I hope to see you in Jump Estate," Garth said. He walked out of the abandoned church without another word. Garfield waited a few minutes just to make sure Garth was gone, and to gaze on his new wife with love and pride.

"Change out of that dress, where I want to take you, you won't be able to walk around in that."

He left and let her change. Then he led her a short distance from the church.

"It's beautiful here!" she said, in awe of her surroundings.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you," he complimented. He took her hand and led her up a high ridge.

"Raven, come look at this!" he called to her. She joined him on the ridge and looked ledge.

"It's breathtaking!" she exclaimed. "A field of irises."

Flowers dotted the landscape, practically covering up the grass. He had never seen so many flowers in her life.

"Garfield, do you trust me?" she asked.

"More than almost anyone I've ever met," Gar replied.

"Except Terra," Raven said, he had been very open with her and had told her everything about what happened to Terra. Raven felt sad, perhaps if their circumstances had been different, they might have been friends.

"Yes," he sighed.

Raven moved forward and kissed him. He staggered and stumbled back and he felt fear rush through him as he realized they were falling off the ledge.

 _Trust me, Garfield._ He could hear her voice in his head. As they fell, he pulled her close, slamming his mouth into hers. He let go of all rational thought except being with her.

He opened his eyes and found her on top of him; he glanced down to see they were hovering a few feet off the ground. If they were to land he would be on his back.

"I knew you had powers, but you never told me you could fly," he remarked.

"They never let me use them," she whispered.

"A pity," Gar mumbled. He felt her lower them onto the ground and he removed his cloak and set it onto the ground, he sat down on top of it and she joined him.

"Do you understand why I've refused to sleep with you before now?" he asked her.

"I thought it was because of your religion," she said. He was like most knights, a Christian and a member of the church. Not that all of them who called themselves Christian actually _acted_ that way. She'd seen plenty of individuals who claimed to follow their righteous God and then disobey all the rules they say He gave them.

"Even without my religion, I wasn't going to treat you like you're just something to use up until I'm bored of you. That's how _he_ treated women. I'm not an animal and I have restraint. Besides, waiting…has so many advantages…"

"Such as?" she raised an eyebrow.

"The anticipation…it's _exhilarating_ ," he looked at her. "Waiting makes it so much more _enjoyable_ , and you don't have the church breathing down your neck either."

"It's not possible for a man to keep himself restrained," Raven scoffed.

"I did, Terra and I, we waited, and we waited because we wanted to, not because of rules, but it was our decision. The consummation…It was _euphoric_."

He leaned in closer to her. Raven could feel his hot breath on her skin and she blushed.

"Just what do you mean by that? And what do you intend to do out here?" she asked.

"Everything," he grinned mischievously and began kissing the side of her neck. He leaned her body back so she was lying beneath him. She noticed he had brought several blankets with him.

"Lust is a sin according to your religion, you know. They say it's a curse," she pointed out.

"Then may God smite me with it, and may I never recover!" he growled, his hands wrapped tightly around her.

"Don't say such things!" she scolded.

"Fine," he laughed, "But I think you know where this is going."

"Garfield, you have to stop," Raven whimpered. She stared at him. Her eyes betrayed her desire but she remembered all the rules she didn't believe in. All those rules that was very strict and confining. They were especially heavy-handed in the marriage bed, but it was not like such things could be enforced, but the idea that _grievous sins_ were attached to certain actions might bring down his reputation among the masses.

"I won't stop," he whispered. "These things aren't sins, how could they be, when we are married, and like you believe any of this either."

"We're in public! It's daylight! I worry for you, if anyone found out—" Raven protested. The dress she was wearing had been very easy to put on and well, it was going to be very easy for him to take it off. She blushed but tried to come up with an excuse for them to go somewhere private.

"We are a three days ride away from the nearest village. The sun is setting, it'll be night soon. They won't know what they cannot see," he laughed. He wasn't buying her excuses.

"I'll confess to you that I am a _terrible_ sinner, everything I _will_ do to you I have _already_ done before."

"With Terra?" Raven asked.

"Yes," he replied, his fingers finding the strings attached to the back of her dress. She'd changed out of the dress she had married him in and wore a very simple, yet very elegant blue dress. It was a requirement that the bride wore something that was blue on her wedding, and even though this was not the dress she had married him in, it _was_ her favorite color.

"But your church will condemn me to Hell; they already hate me and wouldn't let you marry me!"

"For my beloved, to Hell gladly, I'd go. I love you and that's all that matters."

Gar ran his fingers through her hair. He'd wanted this for as long as he could remember, but had always restrained himself around her.

"Gar, there is something I need to tell you," she whispered nervously.

"It can wait," he told her, his breathing was ragged. He was teetering on the edge of control.

"Then I have another question," Raven whispered.

"What is it?" he replied.

"Did Terra…tolerate your sins?" she asked, as she felt a blush come to her face.

"No, she _enjoyed_ them with me," he murmured, pulling her to him. His mouth found hers and before she lost all coherent thought and vaguely heard him say, "And so will you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Notes:
> 
> No lemon for you! At least not written by me anyway (it would suck, seriously). DarkRapture called dibs on it so go check his profile.
> 
> *King Solomon really did have 700 wives. That's one and ¾ years of weddings. And that's if he had a wedding PER DAY. That's a whole lot of sex. ERRGH, how'd he keep track of them all? Then you have to deal with 700 mothers-in-laws.
> 
> * Rings were rare and not cheap. Instead of rings they used broken coins as a symbol of marriage.
> 
> * I read somewhere that a suit of armor cost the equivalent of $60,000.00.
> 
> RomeoXJuliet has the greatest pickup lines I've ever heard. That's where the wedding vows come from. The falling kiss is not my idea at all, nor is it anything I came up with go to YouTube and check out the RomeoXJuliet Trailer. Most epic falling kiss EVER.
> 
> Before anyone criticizes me for "shoving abstinence on you", I just want to point out that even without a religious belief system, practicing abstinence means you don't get STDs, unwanted pregnancies, you don't have your significant other going, "You slept with someone else before me!" and it really does work. My brother and sister-in-law waited until they were married, AND THEY'RE HAPPY THEY DID!
> 
> Raven would be real hesitant about sex, considering her origin, being conceived through rape, and in context of the story, Gar would not treat her like he just fell in love with her as an excuse to have sex.


End file.
